


My New Best Friend Is A Murderer

by phantomhivemast3r



Category: Five Nights at Freddy's
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, Five Nights at Freddy's 3, Gen, Horror, Major Original Character(s), Some Humor, Supernatural Elements
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-02-05
Updated: 2017-06-24
Packaged: 2018-05-18 07:24:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 20
Words: 85,022
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5905198
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/phantomhivemast3r/pseuds/phantomhivemast3r
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Kenneth Talbot accepted the job as "Night Guard" of Fazbear's Fright, he was promised an easy gig of watching some cameras, playing a few audio clips, and maybe "dying" once or twice to please the patrons of the attraction. However, the newly-revived child murderer trapped in an animatronic suit and the vengeful Marionette that awaited him proved that this new career choice might be a little harder than the easily-frightened Guard had anticipated. However, Kenneth believes in second chances for everyone, and he is determined to prove his theory true to the end...no matter what the consequences of his selfless actions might be.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> IMPORTANT NOTE ABOUT THE CONTENT OF THIS FANFIC: The original RP that this story is based off of took place before "FNAF 4" and all subsequent games were released. Obviously, people's perceptions and theories about the storyline and characters have changed drastically since then (mine included). HOWEVER, because this story is based off of a script that was created before these new developments, the characters that you're reading about in this fanfic are stuck in a world where "FNAF 4" and the subsequent games have no bearing; think of it as an alternate timeline or AU, if you will. In this world, Springtrap and "Vincent," the mysterious Purple Guy that no one quite knows the identity of, are one and the same. William Afton, his daughter/children, or anyone else brought up in the ever-expanding FNAF lore don't exist in this universe.
> 
> Dear Reader, this lovely creation was born from the minds of myself and an RP partner I once had. We spent weeks working to create the (very complex) relationships between Springtrap, Kenneth, and the Marionette that you'll encounter in this fanfic. Kenneth Talbot is an easily frightened yet pure-hearted OC thought up by my RP partner, and we hope you enjoy watching his personality and relationships with the members of Fazbear's Fright develop as the story progresses. 
> 
> Without further ado, please enjoy the Prologue of, "My New Best Friend Is A Murderer!"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "He had died. And yet, here he was; trapped inside an animatronic suit, but apparently alive. Of course, this led to an infinite number of questions...  
> However, the most pressing concern was formed out of three, simple letters:  
> Why?"

** Prologue: Awakening **

_Tap, tap, tap...._

The sound of something metal knocking against tile was quite loud, and it was quickly beginning to wane on the man's nerves. With a tremendous amount of effort, he groggily opened his eyes and looked around. Well, look as best he could, for his neck was extremely stiff and his body felt like lead.

_What...what the hell happened?_ he thought, trying to gather his bearings with almost non-existent mobility; the most he could manage at the moment was to swivel his eyeballs from side to side. To his slight relief, he had woken up in a sitting position, so even if he had no use of his limbs he was still at a good angle with which to see the things around him.

_Still in the Pizzeria...of course._  With a mental sneer of disgust, he noted the dirty, checkered walls with the red stripe running along the middle and the various children's drawings taped onto the grossly-slick tile. God, how he wished he could simply quit this stupid job and move on with his life.

No more long, arduous hours being tugged on by snotty, screaming children.

No more desperate attempts to hide his growing resentment for the life he was leading.

No more cleaning up after himself when these attempts failed to work.

No more running from the gho-

Suddenly, a sharp pain stabbed right through the middle of the man's skull. He cried out and clutched his head, only dimly noticing how big and clunky his hands seemed. He wasn't sure how long the pain actually lasted for, but it felt like hours.

"S-Shit...," he cursed, and then abruptly froze. His voice was...well, it sounded alright, but it didn't actually feel as though it came out of his mouth. That is, his mouth didn't seem to _move_ ; to test this, he decided to try another phrase.

"What the actual fu-"

_"Ah, ah, that's not a very nice word!"_

Despite the overwhelming heaviness in his joints, the sudden intrusion of an unfamiliar voice caused the man to jerk his head towards the ceiling, where he thought the sound had come from. However, all he found was the dusty, old, pock-marked panels that were likely to fall down on someone's head at a moment's notice.

"Who said that?!" the man called out in his odd, detached voice. There was no response, so the man decided that this was as good a time as any to get up and figure out what was happening.

Obviously, he was in one of the hallways of Freddy Fazbear's Pizza, but...he couldn't quite recall _how_ he had gotten there. The last thing he remembered was completing a particularly stressful shift, punching out his time card, and then... the rest was a blur. Thinking hard, he could recall vague, child-sized shapes, the horrid sound of metal crunching against something it wasn't meant to be crunched against, and the smell of blood. But try as he might, he simply couldn't make sense of this information at the current time.

Slowly, he attempted to lift his arm up from where it had fallen back against his side without his notice. It took a gargantuan effort, but he eventually managed to bring the heavy limb up in front of his face. He then let out a _very_ undignified shriek.

His arm, if it was indeed his, was certainly _not_ the one that the man was accustomed to. Instead of being covered in a purple sleeve, as per usual, it was now trapped inside a casing of golden, rotting fake fur with gaping holes in it that revealed wiring and metal underneath. If he looked close enough, he could see a vague hint of purple fabric amidst the jumble of stuff, but it was so overshadowed and ripped that the man wondered if it was simply a trick of his imagination.

Slowly, a dark tingle of fear running up his spine, the man glanced down at the rest of his body. Instantly, he recognized why his arm had looked so foreign and yet so familiar: it was the arm of the Golden Bonnie animatronic suit, one of the older models that had been locked away in the back room. The suits had been deemed "unsafe," after an unfortunate accident with an employee at another franchise restaurant, and had promptly been put into storage, since management couldn't find the will to throw it out _just_ yet.

This had been very lucky for Vincent, because the suit had been just the thing to hide him from the ghosts who desperately wanted revenge for-

Another sudden pain shot through the man's head, slightly less intense but no less jarring. Yes, he had used this suit to hide from...oh, that was right, to hide from the children that he had-

He attempted to shake his head to clear the thought away, but realized with another shock of fear that he did not have that much mobility inside the suit. Indeed, when he tried to move his fingers, the Golden Bonnie's fingers moved right along with his. Same with his toes, and then his knees as he gingerly attempted to get up off of the floor.

"Shit!" he cursed aloud, beginning to panic. He seemed to actually be _stuck_ , and stuck _very_ badly. It was almost as if his body had been fused with the suit; any movement he made, no matter how small, would cause the suit to move as well. This wasn't simply the suit moving along _with_ him; it was as if the suit was moving _for_ him, like his body was incapable of these actions on its own.

But...how could that be? There was no way that the suit could be _this_ attached to a person's body, unless...

Despite his best effort to keep a relatively cool composure, the man began to physically tremble. The sound of metal knocking against something unfamiliar echoed throughout the suit, and when his an exposed wire accidentally brushed against another he received a slight shock. Glancing into one of the rotted holes in his leg, the man realized that the endoskeleton of the suit was rubbing against a dark, reddish brown object with a hint of white peeking through the spot where the metal touched it.

It only took the man a few seconds to process that this was in fact his own mummified shin.

Utterly horrified, the man found minimal solace in the fact that because he no longer had control of his own body, only the suit it was fused with, he would not be able to throw up or pass out. However, he could still scream.

And scream he did.

He let out a tremendous wail that echoed throughout the entire building, bouncing off the walls and empty rooms. It was full of raw emotions- probably one of the only times the man had actually _shown_ true emotion in his entire life. Fear, confusion, and hatred all mixed together to create a sound that seemed to come from the deepest part of the man's soul, and it did not stop for quite some time.

When he finally found the strength to stop or lost the strength to continue- whichever came first, he didn't know, the man was aware of three very important facts:

  1. His body was completely fused to the suit. The metal endoskeleton had trapped him inside.
  2. He had been this way for quite some time; the rotted fur, gaping holes, and general unkempt look of his newfound body proved this.
  3. Combined, these previous facts led to an obvious, unsettling conclusion: if the endoskeleton had literally stabbed through him, as was the case, then that meant that he would certainly have died. And it wouldn't have been a quick death; it would have been slow, agonizing, and probably one of the most tortuous experiences that a human could endure.



He had died. And yet, here he was; trapped inside an animatronic suit, but apparently alive. Of course, this led to an infinite number of questions: how exactly had he died? Obviously, he had been impaled by the suit, but what had led him to be in that position? The details were still too fuzzy to make an educated guess.

However, the most pressing concern was formed out of three, simple letters:

Why?

_Why_ had he been brought back? If he was being punished for something- probably, judging from the harsh nature of his apparent "death," then what was the purpose for bringing him back to Earth?

As if cued by this mental query, the tapping sound suddenly began again.

_Tap, tap, tap..._

The sound unnerved the man (robot? Half-human? He wasn't quite sure _what_ he was anymore...) enough that he decided now was the time to get up and start moving around. Maybe he could find some clues as to his current situation if he did some exploring. Steeling his nerves, he painstakingly got to his feet. The endoskeleton tugged at his body every time he moved, and while the pain was-thankfully- not unbearable, it was definitely enough to make him wince and occasionally curse as he shifted onto his feet. The moment he was up, he nearly pitched forward, not used to the heaviness of the suit.

He had climbed in and out of that thing more times than he could count, so the man figured that the combination of actually being fused to it as well as being "dead" for Fazbear knows how long was the cause of his unsteadiness. While he might not have as much control over his physical movements, he tried his best to keep his mental composure in check.

That is, until the unfamiliar voice from earlier pierced through the air once again.

_"...My, my. What have we here?"_


	2. Chapter 1: Pulling Strings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "'...And what, in your mind, is the goal?' he asked...
> 
> 'Why, your eternal torment,' the Marionette responded calmly. 'Your final, pathetic sobs.'"

** Chapter 1: Pulling Strings **

"...My, my. What have we here?"

There was that voice again; it radiated an emotion that set the man's nerves on high-alert. A tall, thin shape emerged out of the shadows. The man focused on it intently, and the Golden Bonnie's eyes narrowed, trying to figure out what this new presence was and what it could possibly want. It was terrifyingly thin, much too thin to be human, and had an entirely black body save for the white stripes going down its arms and legs. Its face was painted white with purple tear streaks emerging from black, dark holes that were meant to represent its eyes. It also had a gaping mouth that was turned up in a permanent, unsettling grin.

It was so familiar...

And then, as if a little piece of the dark cloud in his mind had suddenly been blown away, the figure became recognizable. It was none other than the Marionette, one of the original animatronics from the very first Fazbear Family Diner. It was just as old as the Golden Bonnie suit and, the man had to admit, this particular animatronic had always given him the creeps; its blank eyes always felt like they were watching him...waiting.

Of course, after a while the man figured out that the Marionette _had_ in fact been watching him. It wasn't just the pre-programmed wiring that caused the Puppet to follow him wherever he went; no, it was much more than that. The man knew that somewhere trapped inside that flimsy body was a small, sad, human soul.

Only he knew this, of course; there was no way he could ever reveal what he had done. Not if he wanted to keep his job, much less his free life out of prison. Besides, he had done an excellent job of hiding the body; no one would _ever_ find it. He had thought that the incident would eventually blow over and he could put that memory behind him. But, much to his surprise and growing resentment, the child's soul had remained, attaching itself to the animatronic it had been most fond of when it was alive.

_That must be what happened to_ me _..._ the man reasoned as his gaze locked onto the black holes that were the Marionette's own lifeless eyes.

"...I'm sure you know full well 'what we have here,'" the man said, his tone frigid. He knew without a doubt that the disturbing Puppet had a very important part to play in the story of how his soul had gotten trapped in the suit along with his body. As if to emphasize this fact, the Marionette crossed its unnaturally thin arms in front of its chest and let out a slight chuckle.

"Of course I do. But I'm still asking as a formality, my friend." The voice seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere; it definitely emanated from the Puppet's body, but it could be heard from every angle of the room, as if the sound literally filled up every available corner of space. It was an extremely unnerving effect.

"We are _not_ friends." The man's temper was swiftly rising; one of the Golden Bonnie suit's hands twitched violently. The Puppet glanced down at it, as if slightly amused.

"Oh, we're not? But I supposed we were..."

"And why would that be?"

"Friends help one another, don't they?" The man could swear that the Marionette's grin widened as it said this.

"...And how would _you_ help _me?_ Or vice-versa? _"_ The Golden Bonnie's eyes narrowed as the man glared at the creature standing above him. Said being let out a light chuckle and shifted its weight from one foot to another before answering.

"I already have."

The man in the suit was confused; what the hell was this thing going on about? As if echoing this mental turmoil, the ears of the suit tilted downwards; it was a strange sensation, for the ears themselves were obviously not attached to any part of the man's human body. However, they now felt as if they were a part of his being, regardless of whether they actually touched any mummified flesh or not.

"Hypothetically speaking, did you assume five children had the magical prowess necessary to bind a soul to a metal body?" the Marionette asked. It tilted its head sideways questioningly. "Just curious."

"Well...no, of course not. I thought it was some...'divine fate' or other such...frivolous notion. Something inexplicable." The thin figure chuckled at this response.

"Well then. Hello there. My name's Divine Fate now, it's a pleasure to meet you," it said, holding out a stick-thin arm towards the rabbit-suited man on the floor. The man's eyes flashed menacingly and he pointedly looked away from the proffered hand.

"Don't play games with me, Puppet."

"I'm allowed to play games," the Marionette responded matter-of-factly. It slowly retracted its hand, only to place it against its chest as if proudly gesturing to itself. "I was made to entertain children, after all."

"Hmph," the man in the suit huffed. It sounded childish, he knew, but he _was_ speaking to a child, after all. Or, at least, what _used_ to be one... he had a feeling that any semblance of humanity that the Marionette had retained was long-gone by this point. The man did his best to sneer. "I don't like games that I'm not in charge of..."

"The game has been mine since you so kindly set up the goal and the pieces," the Marionette responded, its voice unsettlingly calm. Pinpricks of fiery light flashed for a split-second deep within its eyes. "You should have known that."

This gave the man pause. Maybe this thing standing above him was more dangerous than he had originally thought... Whatever its thought process may be, the man needed to be wary.

"...And what, in your mind, is the goal?" he asked, surreptitiously flexing his fingers. He seemed to be regaining his strength; soon, hopefully, he would be able to actually stand up and walk around, or potentially defend himself should the creature above him become violent.

"Why, your eternal torment," the Marionette responded calmly. "Your final, pathetic sobs."

At these words, another sharp pain slammed against the man's skull, reverberating throughout his mind. A flash of white light transported him back to a night many years ago, when he had been cornered by the ghosts of the children he had taken everything from. Along with the ghostly images came other sensory memories: the Golden Bonnie suit, rain leaking through the ceiling, dark laughter turning into tortured sobs, and blood.

Endless, endless streams of blood.

With a gasp, Vincent snapped back to the present. He blinked quickly, re-focusing on the tall figure in front of him.

That's right...the ghosts had put him into this suit. They had forced him in there, and he had been so distracted that he had failed to notice the deadly leak in the ceiling that allowed rainwater to seep into the spring locks of the suit. Of course, this made them loose and prone to unlocking...which led to disastrous consequences after he had been secured inside to protect himself from the ghosts' dark auras.

And yet, despite the inevitably bad end to that rainy night, Vincent was still here. He was still alive, at least in some aspects, and potentially stronger than he had ever been before.

"Hmph. You underestimate me, Puppet," he said, letting out a dark chuckle and grinning widely, partially revealing the skull hidden behind the rabbit mask. "Yes, it was a... _pain_ to be permanently secured inside this suit, but as long as I have a physical body, I can do as I please. And since this body is essentially immortal, well...I have a _lot_ of time on my hands."

The man couldn't help the grin on his face from growing even wider. However, instead of cowering away as predicted, the Marionette's eyes flashed again. It began to pace slowly in front of the man, tapping a thin hand against its chin as it spoke.

"Ah, yes. Immortality. How...Charming it is. Now, of course, you should know the rules of this new game, though I had to do a little tampering while you were still out cold..."

Vincent frowned. From his past experience, the "rules" of being trapped inside an animatronic suit were that, well...you were _trapped._ Essentially, you were a slave to the suit, unable to move of your own volition unless the suit dictated that you do so. However, the Golden Bonnie suit had not been functional in a long time; its controls should have been locked away somewhere in a back room, unable to be accessed by anyone. So the man _should_ have complete control, but...

"...Tampering?" he questioned, wanting clarification. "And I didn't think there _were_ rules to this particular game..."

"There's always rules," the Puppet snapped, pausing for a brief moment before continuing to pace back and forth. "And yes. Tampering. Your body does still have the... _influence_ of the original wires. Just move a few around..."

"What is _that_ supposed to mean?" the man asked, narrowing his eyes as he gingerly shifted around in the suit. Until he could fully get his bearings, he thought it best to do as the Marionette said.

"Mmm, and I thought you were bright..." The Puppet sounded disappointed, though there was a hint of laughter hidden within his voice. It stopped pacing to stare intently at the man. Said being shifted around a little more, then suddenly gave a violent twitch that wracked the entirety of the suit and mummified body underneath.

"S-Shit...That still...hurt like hell...," he hissed, closing his eyes briefly as he tried to recover from the pain. Slowly, he refocused on the Marionette above him, glaring fiercely. "Is _this_ what you tampered with?!"

"It may have been...Does it matter?"

" _Yes_ it matters!" The man tried to hide the mounting fear and aggravation in his voice. " I thought that these bodies couldn't feel pain."

"They can't," the Marionette responded simply, shrugging. "Not usually, anyhow."

The man waited as patiently as he could for some elaboration, but when the Puppet failed to speak again he let out a frustrated sigh and said, in a scarily calm voice, "Then, dear 'friend,' explain how _I_ can."

The Puppet seemed to smirk at this.

"Now-and please stop me if this is new information, I am not a very usual children's animatronic," it said. In response, the man let out a low growl of frustration. "Well, humor this thought for me. If the possibly magical and most certainly sentient children's animatronic can bind me, ever so kindly, to this body; who's to say perhaps it has a little more power than that? Who's to say it couldn't...Hmm, I don't know... _Tamper_ a little bit to make sure you don't get too comfy?"

"...You damn Puppet." The man in the spring-lock suit was absolutely fuming. Apparently, his "second chance" at life was nothing more than an illusion; he had only been woken from his slumber to be tormented. "What _else_ have you done to me?!"

"Oh, just one little thing else, nothing major." The rabbit's fingers twitched, but the Puppet paid this action no mind. "I happened to oversee a few...Renovations to the little horror show that this is to be. I'm supposed to be just decor. Heh. So...On the topic, have any memories of the precious little Balloon Boy?"

The man's hand stopped twitching for a moment as he tilted his head in confusion. "...Vaguely... little annoying thing with the idiotic hat, right?"

" Oh, yes, yes. Good job, my friend. He had the most _adorable_ little laugh..."

The man involuntarily flinched at the term "friend," hissing as the suit gave him a little shock from the sudden movement. He could swear that the Marionette tried to stifle a laugh at this as it continued.

"You know, funny thing is, they happen to have that laugh as a sound byte here. And, even funnier, the one acting as the guard can play that little byte at any given time..."

"What does that have to do with _me_?" the man snapped, sick of the Puppet beating around the bush. it obviously had something to say, so it might as well just _say it._ "I have no connection to that bratty children's toy..."

"...You do now."

The ears of the Golden Bonnie suit tilted downwards, seemingly of their own accord as the man became confused. "...What?"

"I thought you'd just go back to your old murdering ways, my friend," the Marionette finally explained, pacing back in forth in front of the animatronic. "So I installed a little...Hitch. Your body, no matter what your own wishes are, is drawn to the sound of people in the halls. You know... To keep up the crowd. Deliver some cheap frights. Now, the body cannot differentiate between a child's laugh and that of Balloon Boy's..."

"So...you're saying that I'll feel inclined to follow the laughter of children?" The man laughed; what a ridiculous suggestion! "I'm _sure_ I'll be able to fight off a simple inclination!" He rolled his shoulders back and sat up a little straighter, fighting the urge to wince as the mechanical parts of the suit bit into sections of rotting flesh; while it was still painful, it seemed as if he was, thankfully, becoming a little more accustomed to it.

"Actually, it's more like your body is going to physically drag you a few rooms over in search of the child, inclinations be damned." The Puppet stopped its pacing, staring intently as the man shifted. "...But, you know. Whatever you want to call it."

The man simply stared at the thin animatronic, before shaking his head and placing his palms flat against the floor; he was going to attempt to stand up. "Like I said, I'm _sure_ I can-"

Suddenly, as if cued by the current conversation, the sound of a demented child's laugh echoed throughout the attraction. The sound seemed to emanate from a room towards the left of where the two animatronics were currently chatting. To the man's absolute horror, the Golden Bonnie suit stood up of its own accord, its movements jerking from both lack of use and the unwanted body inside of it. While the suit wasn't moving fast, it was moving deliberately. The man strained against it as the rabbit put one foot in front of the other, leading him out of the room.

The Puppet turned its head away and put a thin hand against its mouth in feigned politeness as it began to laugh.

The man desperately tried to fight the will of the suit, yelling through exclamations of pain: "N-No! Y-You can't _do_ this to m- _Ow! Shit!"_

The Marionette's laughter only intensified, the thin animatronic physically doubled over as it shrieked with devilish enjoyment at the man in the Golden Bonnie suit's plight. This was too much for said man; straining against the suit's whim despite the pain, he attempted to move towards the thin animatronic, finally losing whatever semblance of composure he had managed to retain up to that point and screaming,

" _Don't just stand there and scoff at me, you bastard! Get me OUT of this thing!"_

"Get you out?" The Puppet sounded like it'd never been happier; its ever-permanent smile could be heard in its voice. "Well, I could, but you'd be pretty useless!"

"J-just get my soul _out of this thing!"_ The suit abruptly won the battle of wills and began walking back in the direction of the laughter, despite the man's protestations.

Ever so casually, the puppet trailed along behind, humming a familiar tune before saying, "Oh, _tsk-tsk-tsk_... here I thought you liked pain."

"Not when it's _mine_ , you bast- _Ow! Damn it!_ " The man cursed a final time as the suit unceremoniously jerked him around a harsh corner and, to his reluctant relief, stopped when it reached the room that the demented laughter had come from.

The puppet cheerfully hopped up behind him, throwing its arm around the rabbit animatronic's shoulders. " Ah, there we are. Better."

The man could no longer respond. He could only tremble from both the pain and utter lack of control that he felt; it was a dark sensation that the man had only experienced once before, and he was reluctant to face that feeling of despair again.

"Oh?" The Marionette moved around to the front of the half-robot, its grin seeming to widen. "My, my. Are you shaking?"

Slowly, painstakingly, the man forced the tremors racking his body to recede. He shot the Puppet a harsh glare, though he couldn't escape the hitch in his voice. "N-No."

The thin animatronic giggled, reaching out and tapping his nose. "You can admit weaknesses now. You're already dead."

The response was immediate, instinctual, unquestionable: "I am _not_ weak."

"Mmm-hmm. Of course not, my friend."

This flippancy was too much. The horrible children's toy could bind his suit to an ancient animatronic body, but it could _not_ question his strength of character. The man snarled, the sound extra-intimidating coming from the rotting rabbit suit, and took a swipe at the Marionette despite the pain this action caused him.

The Puppet hoped backwards, pinprick eyes flickering. "Temper, temper!"

" _You_ of all people should know how fickle my temper is...," the man hissed, speaking in an eerily calm tone and taking a heavy step forwards.

"Ohoho, I do...I sure do, dear friend."

" _I am not your friend!"_ The man used his remaining willpower to make a desperate lunge for the Marionette, grasping at it frantically. The Puppet was, unfortunately, caught off-guard. It was grasped by the rabbit, pinprick eyes flickering again.

"...Nasty temper."

In response, the man squeezed the arm grasped tightly in the large, golden rabbit's hand, an evil glint in his eyes. The decomposing, grinning mouth seemed to widen.

"N-now--Friend--No reason to get unreasonable...Unhand me." The Marionette tried to hide the twinge of fear in its voice. This firm grasp around its arm, the inability to free itself...it was reminding it of that time, that time so long ago, that time when this man had-

The man in the suit laughed darkly, the sound effectively cutting through the Puppet's thoughts. "No chance in hell, _friend."_ He squeezed harder.

Plastic began to crack. A bit of panic, and static, crept into the thin animatronic's tone. "You're not supposed to be handling decor this way-"

"You're a particularly unpleasant piece of decor... I think you need a bit of redecorating." The man chuckled again at the crackling sound, holding fast.

"My friend! My friend--I am telling you, you're lucky I haven't made it worse, I could have-"

"Could have _what_?" He hissed the last word, pulling the Marionette close to his face and snarling.

"Listen--Let's not be brash, now--You still have a lot of control, more than the children have--"

" _I don't care about the damn children! Why do you think I killed them in the first place?!"_

The man snarled angrily, squeezed one last time, and threw the flimsy Puppet against a nearby wall, reveling in the sound of breaking plastic. Plastic splintered off the Marionette's arm, showing a metal skeleton below, and the thin animatronic landed on the floor with another crack, making it spasm. The man looked at the damage he caused and began to laugh- not a chuckle, as before, but a deep, dark laugh that echoed throughout the room and seemed to make even the shadows quiver in fear.

"Who has the power _now_ , you useless Puppet?!" the man said, finally, after his laughing fit had died out. Despite his horrific situation, this newfound confidence, however false it may be, served his distorted ego well. The other animatronic, however, did not feel the same way. In a soft, calm voice, it said:

"...I'd be a little kinder, if I were you."

Still high off of his perceived victory, the man in the Golden Bonnie suit huffed nonchalantly. "Hmph. And why is _that?"_

"...I might be your only way out of here."

This sentence gave him pause. "...Why should I believe you? And, more importantly, why would you ever _want_ to help me out of here?" There was a slight lull in the conversation before the Marionette responded, as if it were gathering its thoughts. Finally, it responded:

"I never said I wanted to. But if you get rid of me, you don't know any other way to escape."

The man smirked at this- well, mentally. All he could physically do was sneer, the mouth of the deteriorating rabbit suit opening slightly to show the remains of the deranged human underneath. "Whoever said I _wanted_ to escape? With an immortal body, I can do whatever I please! There's just the small matter of getting used to the pain and avoiding that damn laughter, but I'm sure I can hide away when the children are around during the day..."

It was true. Despite the pain- which was, the man thought with a shudder, comparatively nothing like he had experienced during his final moments as a human, he had been reborn in an immortal shell that was immune to the elements. So it had a little tendency to go after children's laughter; so what? He was sure that he could find a way around that.

The Puppet merely stared at him with a cold, measured gaze. "You'll want to. You definitely will." Slowly, painstakingly, it began to pick up the plastic shards that had snapped off of its arm from the impact with the wall.

"I'm sure I can manage," the man in the suit responded with an uncaring air. The thin, unnerving animatronic was beginning to move again and it was, much to his annoyance, putting the former human on edge. "All of _you_ have."

"Children are far more impressionable than grown men," was the only response. Then, after another pause, the Marionette added with a smirk in its voice, "...Though considering your temper, I hesitate to call you a 'grown man'..."

Instinctively, the man snarled at this insult and took a step towards the damaged robot, only to wince at the sudden movement. The Marionette seemed to pay him no mind, choosing to stare at the shards of plastic in its hands and sigh wistfully, "Oh, and now someone's going to have to glue me together again. Shameful."

"At least my suit is sturdier than that piece of flimsy plastic _you've_ managed to trap yourself in..." The man stood up as straight as he could, feeling a small, unjustified sense of pride that he might still be superior if, in nothing else, his new (at least to _him_ ) body's construction. The Puppet looked at him and the man knew that, if it could, it would be rolling its eyes.

"A flimsy piece of plastic that also has magical powers." Slowly, it stood up, clutching the plastic pieces in its good hand and letting its injured arm hang uselessly by its side. "Besides, it was nineteen-eighty-something, did you expect anything better?"

"Very true...," the man had to concede with the robot. He cocked his head to the side, one ear, again, involuntarily flopping downwards in question. "How _did_ you gain magical powers, by the way? And get yourself into that get-up in the first place?"

The Marionette seemed to freeze at the question. It stared at the ground for a moment before lifting its head towards the Golden Bonnie suit, its eyes haunted. "...That, friend, is on a need-to-know basis."

The Golden Bonnie's eyes flashed at this response. "Well, _friend_ , it appears that we're going to be spending a _lot_ of time together...so I'm sure you'll tell me eventually."

"I have many secrets that don't need telling." It tilted its head to the side at an angle just far enough that its neck appeared to be broken; it was, the man had to admit, an unsettling sight. "And I'm sure you have yours, too."

The man simply nodded in response. And then, as if a large, invisible weight had suddenly been placed atop him, his animatronic prison began to feel extremely, extremely, heavy. Concerned and knowing that the only thing that would be able to give him answer was not very happy with him at the moment, he decided that he had nothing to lose by asking, "Why...why do I suddenly feel so tired?"

"...Oh, is it nearly morning?" the Puppet questioned, seeming unfazed by the obvious stress on the deteriorating rabbit suit.

"I...I'm not sure...," the man replied; now it was becoming hard to even speak, though he knew that he didn't physically have to use the suit's mouth to do so. This fact, however, merely added to his growing concern. With a tremendous amount of effort, the man in the suit managed to turn his head just enough to see the clock situated on the wall near the ceiling. "It's... 5:58 am..."

"Oh. Indeed, nearly morning."

"It's just...the end of the night shift...so why...?" The man managed to lean against the nearest wall and sink to the floor, finally losing the battle for control of his new body. The only things left under his command were his eyes, which were locked onto the Marionette and following its movements intently.

Said Puppet rose, still clutching the bits of plastic shards in its hand, stretching. "That, dear friend, is a construct of the body...I didn't add that."

"What...Y-You..." The man trailed off as the 6am bell echoed throughout the building. To his great distress, he finally lost all control of the animatronic body and, although still conscious, he was no longer able to move. All he could do was sit against the wall, staring blankly at the Puppet in front of him...which was currently chuckling in amusement.

The Puppet slowly walked over, scratching the decaying rabbit suit behind the one still fully-formed ear. It spoke as if talking to a child, bending down to be eye-level with the decaying man. "See...When it's six...You're out of free-roaming mode. Happens to everyone. Excluding me. A little perk of mine. But I'm sure you'll be fine without me? Given you can even hear what I'm saying."

Despite his best efforts to talk, to move his hand, to twitch his ear, to do... _something anything!_... the Golden Bonnie suit remained out of the man's control. All he could do was make a low, unintelligible growling noise.

"...That's a yes, then. Good, good. So, you sleep well, now, bright and early tomorrow morning we can play the game." The Puppet's pinprick eyes flashed devilishly. "Now, can I get a 'goodnight, Marionette'?"

The man was beyond furious. His old life had been wrenched away, that he had already accepted. However, he had been given a new one- in an _immortal body,_ no less! Yet, the damn suit was subject to the workings of a decades-old system of "Daytime," "Free-Roaming," and "Night-Mode" settings that he was, at the current time, unable to control.

And it was all the Puppet's fault.

With a gargantuan effort of willpower, the man managed to growl something that sounded vaguely like, "Kill...you...again..."

The Marionette, however, paid this mumbled threat no mind. Almost mockingly, it imitated the man's voice. "'Goodnight, Marionette! You're my savior!' Yes, yes, I know." Two more pats on the head for the rabbit. "See you soon!"

And with that, the Puppet strode out of the room and the man in the Golden Bonnie suit was left with nothing but his own thoughts and the vague, hazy memories of days and nights spent in this all-too familiar hell-hole of a building.


	3. Chapter 2: Kenneth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "The boy could swear that there was something... unsettling behind those off-white teeth, but he couldn't be certain unless he got close to the rotting thing.
> 
> Which was completely and totally out of the question.
> 
> ...For anyone other than Kenneth, of course."

** Chapter 2: Kenneth **

Kenneth Talbot stepped across the threshold of Fazbear's Fright with a smile on his face and a spring in his step. He was more than ready to continue his job as a Night Guard- especially because he was only going to be _acting_ the part.

Kenneth was a tall, lanky sort of guy, with a twenty-seven year old face spattered with youthful freckles and bright, green eyes that shone with a light of inexhaustible excitement. However, the most noticeable quality about the boy was his demeanor itself. Though he went out of his way to be kind to others, he jumped at the slightest sudden noise and was quick to scream when startled. When he spoke, his voice contained a natural stutter that became more pronounced as his stress level rose.

In short, he was a complete and utter scaredy-cat.

Why, then, did he accept the position of a Night Guard at a horror attraction? It all boiled down to three reasons:

  1. His girlfriend had gotten him the job, and she was extremely excited and proud of him for accepting it.
  2. In the short few weeks since his interview, Kenneth had already become close friends with the owner of the attraction (known affectionately as "Phone Dude," or PD for short, due to the fact that he rarely ever met with his employees in person), and didn't want to disappoint him.
  3. Even though the attraction was called "Fazbear's Fright," he was only going to be an actor; nothing was real, and the more he knew how the attraction worked (especially behind the scenes), the less scared he would be during his shift.



And so, Kenneth settled down in the surprisingly comfortable swivel chair situated behind the desk in the what was meant to be the "office." The entire building had been re-modeled to look like the original Freddy Fazbear's Family Diner, right down to the ventilation systems. Unfortunately, this proved to be a major design flaw; according to PD, the "authentic" designs of the ventilation, camera, and audio systems meant that they had a tendency to fail.

One aspect of Kenneth beginning his job a week early was to note when and how many times these systems failed. Hopefully, this data would give the maintenance crew ample opportunity to fix these important aspects of the attraction before the patrons arrived.  

Since this was actually his second night of Security Guard practice, Kenneth was already more comfortable in the office. The lack of ventilation had gotten to him the night before and caused him to pass out for a few minutes, but luckily he had landed on his arm on top of the desk, cushioning the impact of skull against metal table. This momentary lapse of consciousness had scared him terribly at the time, but because of this Kenneth went into his second shift already aware of the possibility of falling asleep. He figured that as long as he kept a careful eyes on the ventilation status, he should be fine.

Besides, he didn't really need to watch the cameras or listen to the audio that much, anyway. Tonight would be a piece of signature, Fazbear birthday cake.

As if cued by this uplifting thought, the phone on the desk began to ring, causing Kenneth to jump and knock his knee against the underside of the table.

"O-Ow... H-Hello?" the Night Guard asked, winding as he picked up the receiver.

"Hey, man, okay, I have some awesome news for you!" PD said excitedly. Kenneth smiled slightly, shifting into a more comfortable position as his boss continued on. "First of all, we found some vintage audio training cassettes... Dude, these are, like, prehistoric! I think they were, like, training tapes for other employees or something like that...

"So I'd like to have them, like, playing, like, over the speakers as people walk through the attraction. Dude, that makes this feel _legit_ , man!"

"Oh? T-That sounds interesting!" Kenneth agreed. He was curious to know what information "vintage training tapes" could possibly contain. Besides, it would be nice to have another voice in the attraction, even if it was a voice from long ago.

"But I have an even _better_ surprise for you..." PD laughed, and Kenneth raised an eyebrow. "You're not gonna believe this... We found one. A _real_ one!" The smile on PD's face was obvious through the phone. Kenneth frowned in response.

"A real _w-what?_ " he asked, an unpleasant tingle at the base of his neck.

 "A, uh, ah- gotta go, man..." Suddenly, PD trailed off and Kenneth's eyes widened as he heard a sort of commotion on the other end of the line. Before he could ask what was wrong, PD said:

"W-well, look, i-it's in there _somewhere;_ I-I'm _sure_ you'll see it. Okay, I'll leave you with some of this _great_ audio that I found; talk to you later, man!"

"S-See _what?!_ Wait, PD, don't just-" The phone clicked off, and the Night Guard was left with nothing but silence on the other end. "-l-leave me w-with that..."

Slowly, Kenneth placed the phone down with a shaking hand. What in the world could PD have been talking about? Surely there wasn't something else wandering the halls of Fazbear's Fright, was there? And if, by some strange twist of fate there _was_ something else there...what was it?

The only thing besides a fellow employee that Kenneth could imagine walking around this sort of place would be one of the old animatronics... But that was impossible, since Freddy, Bonnie, Chica, Foxy, and the rest of their friends had been dismantled and sold for scraps years ago. The only remnants of animatronics that remained in Fazbear's Fright were the outer casing of a Freddy Fazbear model handing unsettlingly just outside the office and a box just inside the room containing children's drawings and various masks of the characters.

"H-Hopefully it's j-just a new piece o-of decor or s-somethin'...," Kenneth muttered, unsuccessfully trying to suppress a shiver.

Well, his job was to act the part of a security guard; in this establishment, that entailed sitting in an office watching a tablet screen. Sure, he didn't have a door to the room, but since he was (supposedly) the only one in the building, that wasn't a huge concern to him.

"I'll be f-fine!" the trembling guard reassured himself. "I-I'll be fine, y-yeah..."

Just as he was about to pick up the tablet and check the cameras, the phone began to ring again. Shooting a quick, uncertain glance at the Freddy suit ominously hanging in the hallway, Kenneth picked up the phone and leaned back in his chair, listening intently as a new, unfamiliar voice came onto the line.

_"Uh, hello? Hello, hello?"_

***

_About four hours later..._

"No, no, no, n-no, no, _no!"_

Kenneth had been muttering this personal mantra for nearly five minutes straight. It was just past 4am, but the Night Guard had realized soon after the pre-recorded instructional tape had ended that he _did_ indeed have company within Fazbear's Fright.

Flipping through the cameras set up around the building, Kenneth had come across a large, shadowy shape that had definitely _not_ been there the night before. He had let out a loud, high-pitched shriek at this discovery, and he could swear that the shadows' rabbit-like ears twitched at the sound. In the midst of his panic, he dimly recalled the old guard mentioning something on the tape about playing audio in another room to attract the animatronics' attention. Frantically, not knowing what else to do, Kenneth flipped to another camera in a nearby room and pressed the AUDIO button, sending a peal of children's laughter echoing throughout the building.

Indeed, it appeared that the rabbit-thing _did_ go after the sound. However, Kenneth had failed to account for the fact that the "authentic" systems had the unfortunate tendency to fail. Just when he felt as if he'd gotten the hang of finding the large shadow and playing audio in a nearby room, the sound itself had mysteriously cut off. Amidst a panicked scrambling that involved accidentally knocking his knee against the table (again) and nearly throwing his plastic-wrapped sandwich onto the floor (for the second time that night), he finally managed to find the blinking light that indicated that the AUDIO system had failed. Jamming his finger on the button so hard he feared for a split-second as if he might have broken it, the Night Guard flipped back to the cameras and looked for the rabbit-thing.

The shadow was, however, nowhere to be found.

"O-Oh no, oh no...no, no, no!" Kenneth began muttering again, looking through every single camera screen in succession. For good measure, he even checked inside the vents- though why there would even be cameras _in_ the vents, he had no plausible idea. Still, the dark shape seemed to have mysteriously disappeared.

At least, until Kenneth saw a flicker of gold run in front of the empty Freddy Suit hanging in the hallway and disappear past the other side of the doorway.

Completely giving up on the cameras, the trembling human grabbed the thing closest to him for self-defense and whirled his swivel-chair to face the doorway, wondering what in the world was out there. It didn't take long for the presence to make himself known.

The man in the Golden Bonnie suit had made it his personal mission to scare the guard to death- literally or figuratively, whichever tickled his fancy when he finally reached the idiot in the office. He was going to let the human be, initially- he really was! Still getting used to his newfound body, the man had been content to wander aimlessly around the building (which he learned from the ever-helpful Marionette was now called "Fazbear's Fright: A Horror Attraction"), experimenting with the movement and workings of how the suit paired with his own decomposing body. He didn't give a damn about the person sitting in the office- he wasn't even a real Night Guard, for Fazbear's sake! He was just an actor, after all.

But then, the idiot had to go and play the stupid child's laughter. Just when the man had been getting the hang of putting one large, clunky foot in front of the other without wavering or tripping, he could have sworn that he heard a shrill scream from the direction of the office, and then Balloon Boy's laugh echoed from a room down the hall. Despite his best efforts to resist, the suit moved on its own accord towards the noise, just as it had the night before. To his annoyance, the idiot in the office _kept playing the laugh._ Every time it died down, the fool would start it up again, forcing the man in the Golden Bonnie suit to jerkily travel from one room to the next. Not only was it annoying beyond belief, it also gave the Marionette something to laugh at hysterically for forty-five minutes straight.

Finally, to the man's great relief, the laughter stopped. He could only imagine the cause of this, but frankly, he didn't care. To his delighted surprise, the fact that his new body had been forced to walk around so much had actually _helped_ him in the long run; despite the pain he had endured after traveling from one room to another, the movement itself had significantly loosed the joints of the Golden Bonnie suit. This allowed the man to move much more freely and with more control and speed than he had been able to before; he found that he could actually _run_ in very short bursts- though, of course, it caused him an immense amount of pain to do so. Despite this, he gritted both sets of teeth that he now possessed and made his way towards the office to see who had decided to take on the unfortunate position of "Night Guard."

He peered around the doorframe, expecting either a surly, muscled man just right for the stereotypical role of "security guard," or a young, college-aged kid in desperate need of money who had only taken on this job because there were no other options left. What the man _hadn't_ excepted, as fate would have it, was the exact type of person he encountered.

The boy in the swivel-chair screamed at the sight of the rabbit's mangled face- a loud, grating sound that made the man in the suit instinctively shrink back from the sheer volume. How it had come out of _that_ guy's mouth, the man had no idea. The person in the chair, while appearing to be of average size for his age (although it was hard to tell either of these facts, since the boy was currently huddled into a ball), was trembling like a leaf. He was peering over the top of his knees and brandishing what appeared to be a sandwich- ham, maybe? Possibly turkey...the man in the suit couldn't tell. All he could do was stare at this unfamiliar presence, inexplicably struck with the desire to see what this scared human would do next.

"D-D-Don't c-come near me!" the boy on the chair shrieked, his bright eyes wide in abject terror. "I-I've got a...a... O-Oh, uh..." He tore his gaze away from the rabbit for a split-second to see what he had picked up: his sandwich, that he had apparently grabbed instinctively to save it from falling to the floor within his scrambled panic. His eyes snapped back to the rotting face in the doorway and he held the sandwich up higher. "I-It may l-look like a s-s-sandwich, b-but...b-but I can throw p-pretty well! So...s-so...you just stay b-b-back!"

The man in the Golden Bonnie suit stared. He stared long and hard at the frail human brandishing a piece of deli-meat and cheese in-between two slices of bread, all wrapped up in a thin film of sticky plastic wrap.

And then...he laughed.

He couldn't help it. He wanted to be intimidating, and he _was_ , apparently, scaring the boy on the chair to death. But this boy was just so, _so_ , utterly ridiculous that the man couldn't contain himself. He began to chuckle, lightly at first, but it soon turned into a full-blown laughing fit in which he stumbled into the doorframe, clutching his stomach, although the pain he felt was more from the animatronic suit itself than the act of laughing. The man wasn't entirely sure where this strange reaction came from; probably the overwhelming stress and reluctant acceptance of what he had been through, he reasoned. He had never been one to show much emotion, especially of the pleasant kind, so this laughter was produced out of the sheer circumstances of being brought back into an immortal body that he could only half control by a literal Puppet-Master, and subsequently being threatened by a shaking boy brandishing a sandwich.

It was, to an outside observer, quite a ridiculous predicament.

"U-Uh, um...," Kenneth mumbled, ever-so-slowly lowering his sandwich. The thing in the doorway was...well, it was utterly _terrifying._ It definitely looked like one of the animatronics, albeit an ancient one; the golden fur was matted and rotting, and there were gaping holes in various parts through which a flash of deep red could occasionally be seen within the darkness. The top of one of the ears was completely missing, and the mouth of the rabbit was permanently twisted into some sort of demented grin. The boy could swear that there was something... _unsettling_ behind those off-white teeth, but he couldn't be certain unless he got close to the rotting thing.

Which was completely and totally out of the question.

...For anyone other than Kenneth, of course.

Carefully, oh-so-carefully, the Night Guard placed the sandwich back on the desk and grabbed his flashlight instead- a much better weapon to fend off malfunctioning animatronics, should the need arise. As the creature continued to laugh, Kenneth slowly lowered his feet to the ground and stood up, squinting at it curiously. While he knew that the animatronics of Freddy Fazbear's Pizza had been programmed to entertain children and therefore should have friendly personalities, the laughter that was coming from the mutilated rabbit sounded awfully...human.

The man in the suit felt the presence of the Guard come near him as his laughing fit began to die down.

_Bad idea, idiot,_ he thought, falling utterly silent and still. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see the young man pause. The boy appeared to be in his late twenties, though his face was still filled with the youthful spark of childhood excitement. The man in the suit resisted the urge to scoff; that look would surely be wiped away _very_ soon.

Hesitantly, Kenneth reached out a trembling hand towards the now-immobile animatronic. Then, thinking a bit more rationally, he reasoned that using the flashlight was a better option. Slowly, he stuck out the flashlight- the bulb itself was off, for his eyes had adjusted to the dim light of the building hours ago, and nudged the rotting rabbit's one fully-formed ear. Instantly, the Guard jumped backwards, afraid that the animatronic would spring to life again. Yet, it remained perfectly still.

_This guy actually_ is _a complete fool..._ the man in the suit mused. Well, the Guard had only touched his ear, which hadn't caused him any pain. Besides, he was still recovering from his unfortunate laughing fit; as long as the kid didn't mess with anything too painful, what harm would it do to let him examine the suit until he'd regained enough energy to give him a proper scare?

Of course, the next move Kenneth made sent the man in the suit's one-sided mental deal with him straight out the metaphorical window.

Tentatively, the Night Guard stuck out a hesitant finger and lightly poked the animatronic's cheek. The matted texture of the faux-fur caused him to yelp and snatch his finger back, as if it would somehow be sucked into the suit should he leave it there. Unfortunately, this action caused the rest of his hand to accidentally smack the rotting rabbit's cheek, eliciting a low growl from the animatronic itself. This, in turn, caused Kenneth to shriek loudly and jump back, instinctively throwing his flashlight at the rabbit and hitting him square in the chest.

"What the _hell_ are you doing?!" the man in the suit exclaimed, deciding to make his consciousness known. Glaring at the trembling human, he tried to hide his discomfort as he picked up the flashlight with a clunky hand and threw it into a far corner of the room.

"Oh! I-I w-was, just, u-um...," Kenneth trailed off, looking longingly at the flashlight that was now far out of his reach. So much for _that_ form of defense... Then, quickly, he snapped his gaze back to the animatronic, a frown creasing his forehead. Now, Kenneth was by no means an expert on how these robotic animals worked, but he _was_ certain that there was no way the word "hell" would be programmed into the voice bank of a character designed to entertain children.

"Are you going to _do_ something, or just stand there with that dopey look on your face?" the rabbit said in a low, very _un-_ computer-like tone. Kenneth merely gazed at the thing, trying to figure out what exactly he was looking at. An animatronic, that much was obvious, but something about this particular one was tugging at his memory. What had that guy on the tape, the original security guard in charge of explaining how the animatronic suits worked, mentioned earlier that night?

Wait! Kenneth snapped his fingers, eliciting a confused tilt of the head from the rotting rabbit. The Phone Guy had been talking about an animatronic _suit_ \- that is, a creation that was half robot, half wearable human-sized animal... meaning that there must be a person inside this one to control it. That would explain the human voice and unnervingly focused attention that the suit was currently giving the Night Guard.

"Ah, o-okay, I g-get it now! V-Very f-funny," Kenneth said, relaxing his stance ever-so-slightly. Even though he knew the suit wasn't moving on its own, the thing still freaked him out. Although, he supposed, that was probably the point. "PD, i-is that you?! T-This is a-a _really_ b-bad prank to-"

"...Who _exactly_ do you think you're talking to, might I ask?" the man in the suit questioned, the fully-formed ear atop his head tilting downwards. Kenneth let out a nervous chuckle and took a small step forward.

"C-Come on, P-PD... this i-is really m-mean! Y-You know h-how e-easily I get s-scared..."

"You think I'm your friend?" the person inside the suit asked. Kenneth gave a tiny smile, causing the man to let out a barking laugh.

"P-PD, seriously... I-I know it's y-you!" Kenneth's smile widened, a subtle attempt to counteract the feeling of unease growing in the back of his mind.

"I'm _not_ your friend, you stupid human," the voice from the suit hissed. As of last night, the former Guard had officially renounced his "humanity" card, and, frankly... he couldn't care less.

"H-H-Human?" Kenneth's voice squeaked, destroying any attempt of composure he may have had.

"You didn't seriously expect a living person to be inside _this_ death trap, did you?" The man in the suit attempted to gesture to himself, but gave up with a slight wince at the pain that spiked through his arm.

"B-But, if y-you're n-n-not h-human, t-then...?" Kenneth left the question unfinished, but the man in the suit understood the implications. The rotting rabbit's grin seemed to widen.

"Tell me... Night Guard," he said softly, pausing for a moment when he realized that he had never learned the trembling boy's name. "What do you know about this place's history?"

"U-Um, w-well..." Kenneth lightly rested his back against the doorframe opposite the rabbit, once again eyeing the far-away flashlight. He _really_ needed to work on his grip...if he survived the night, that is. "It w-was a r-r-really profitable business, u-until, u-um... W-Well, there w-was a-an incident... S-Some kids w-were, uh... m-m-m-"

_"Murdered?"_ the rotting rabbit finished, already tired of the boy's blubbering. His eyes flashed and he tilted his head slightly. Kenneth nodded a bit too quickly.

"I-I heard t-that the kids w-weren't ever f-found, t-though...," the false Guard added. He took a shaky breath, looking anywhere but at the half-animatronic in front of him. Something bad was about to happen, he just knew it. "O-Or, um... o-or t-the k-killer."

"...Isn't _that_ unfortunate?" The voice from the suit was unnaturally calm for such a statement. "And what do _you_ think happened to everyone? Any ideas?"

"W-Well... t-there's a lot of t-theories, b-but I'm n-not sure w-which o-one I b-believe." Kenneth tried as hard as possible to remain standing, despite how much his legs were shaking. He might be a bit naive, but he wasn't stupid; he had a sinking suspicion that the vicious child killer was much closer than he thought- though, how this was possible he had absolutely no idea.

"Mm," the rotting rabbit hummed in affirmation. Just a little longer... a little more time to gather his strength, and he could give the Guard one hell of a scare.

"U-Um, y-you... you n-never actually a-answered m-my q-question," Kenneth piped up. The half-animatronic tilted an ear, and he continued. "I-If you're n-not human, t-then w-w-what _are_ you?"

This actually made the main the suit pause. That was a good question; what _was_ he, really? A ghost? "Vengeful spirit" seemed like a more appropriate term for the Marionette who had trapped him in this suit than for the man himself, so...

"Ghost it is, then," he mused, speaking more to himself than to the trembling boy in front of him. "Or would I be more like a zombie...?"

"W-W-What?!" Kenneth squeaked. Though he'd only caught bits of that mumbled answer, the words he had heard were enough to make him clench his fists so hard that his nails dug into his palms.

"So, if I _am_ a ghost," the main the suit continued, a dark thrill spiking through his mind at the boy's terrified reaction. "...whose ghost would I be, then?"

Kenneth bit his lip, afraid of the answer. The rotting rabbit's eyes flashed again.

"That's right, you oh-so-innocent Night Guard...." The voice was quiet as the man in the suit slowly began to shift his position. "The answer is painfully obvious... _The murderer is still here!"_

And with that, the half-animatronic pulled the mouth of the suit wide open, revealing the decrepit skull underneath, and lunged for the screaming Guard.


	4. Chapter 3: Not So Bad, Really...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Slowly, oh so slowly, the freckled boy took a cautious step towards the pathetic animatronic and held out a tentative hand as a small, terrified smile tugged up the corner of his lips. 
> 
> 'D-Do you n-need some h-h-help?'"

** Chapter 3: Not So Bad, Really... **

Kenneth bolted away from the animatronic so fast that his shoes nearly lost traction on the grossly-slick tiled floor. There was a split-second of abject terror where Kenneth knew, was _absolutely certain_ , that this is was it- he would fall flat on his face and the robot... zombie... horrifying _thing_ would be on top of him in a matter of seconds, and then it would be all over. He wouldn't be able to say goodbye to his family, his girlfriend, or even PD...

And yet, by some miracle the terrified Guard managed to regain his balance and dart down the hallway, not really caring where he ended up as long as he was far, far away from the rotting rabbit. As he ran, gasping for air, his mind tried to process what exactly he had just seen.

What was inside that rabbit mask? Though Kenneth was hesitant to admit it, he knew what the true answer was: a mummified body, obviously one that had been trapped there for decades. How it was moving and why... well, those were two other questions entirely.

The situation was utterly terrifying, yet Kenneth couldn't help the twinge of curiosity crawling its way through the back of his mind. He desperately wanted to know the answers, but was it worth risking, and probably _losing_ , his life?

The best (and smartest) thing to do was to get the heck out of that building as fast as he could. A ghost of a vaguely-relieved smile pulled up the corners of Kenneth's lips at this idea. However, this expression fell when he realized where his car and house keys were: back in the office with the demented killer rabbit.

If he wanted to leave, he _had_ to go back.

The false Guard took a shaky breath, wondering how and why _he_ was in this situation. His self-proclaimed title was true; he _wasn't_ a real Night Guard, he was just an actor playing the part.

_And doing a_ really _bad job at it,_ he thought with another shiver. But, then again... possessed animatronics hadn't been in the description, so the boy supposed he was doing the best he could in the current situation. Besides, no matter how scary the rabbit was, he desperately needed his keys.

Steeling his nerves as best he could- which, for Kenneth, meant trembling a little less than he currently was, the Guard began the slow trek back towards the office. He didn't know how long he'd been away from his office, or, more importantly, where the animatronic could have gotten to within that time frame. For all he knew, it could be right around the corner.

With cautious anticipation, Kenneth peered around the doorframe of the room he was hiding in, checking for stray monsters. Seeing that the coast was clear, he quietly stepped out into the hallway. Nothing jumped in front of him, so he began to walk forward. He knew that at any moment he could be ambushed and thus tried to dart from doorway to doorway to avoid potentially getting trapped in the hallway; if he were stuck in a room, at least there would be props inside that he could hurl at the animatronic. He'd just have to make sure that he used something more substantial than a sandwich or a flashlight next time...

Soon, the false Guard arrived back at the office. Since he hadn't encountered the animatronic yet, he assumed it was still in the office- a correct guess, he quickly realized as he glimpsed the golden suit slumped against the wall near his desk. Kenneth clapped a hand over his mouth, stifling a scream, not wanting to startle the thing and have it come after him again. He quickly pressed his back against the wall just outside the office, closing his eyes tightly and trying to work up enough nerve to dart into the room, grab his bag, and run full-speed back out and towards the exit.

The man in the animatronic suit knew that the Guard was there, of course. Though the boy tried to calm his rough breathing, it was too frantic to be hidden completely. However, the rotting rabbit didn't feel like going after the idiotic boy at the moment; frankly, all he wanted to do was go back to sleep and not wake up for a very, very long time. That last scare had sapped most of his strength, and he really didn't feel like dealing with the boy's screeching again.

Taking one final, ragged breath, Kenneth took a full step into the office. The rotting rabbit slowly lifted his head up, though this seemed to take an unexpected amount of effort. Kenneth gulped and managed to squeak out:

"D-Don't t-try anything!" Menacing, he was not, but at least he had some semblance of a voice. He gripped his hands into fists, half-heartedly raising them as if they would offer some menial form of protection against the raging animatronic.

The Golden Rabbit rolled its eyes.

"Oh, relax," the man in the suit said, his tone dull and unamused. "Does it _look_ like I'm going to come after you right now?"

"W-Well..." Kenneth had to admit that the animatronic looked rather... sad. It was as if all the strength that it possessed had been sapped away after that last sudden attack. Though he knew he was absolutely crazy for feeling this way, the false Guard couldn't help a twinge of sympathy for the pathetic-looking thing on the floor. "Er..."

"Stop gawking at me like an idiot," the man in the suit snapped, the one fully-intact ear on the suit tilting towards in aggravation. He didn't like the look the boy was giving him; it was too... kind. Especially after he had tried to _attack_ the stupid Guard not thirty minutes before.

"D-Do you, um...," Kenneth began, and then he paused and bit his lip. Was he really about to do what he thought he was about to do? Obviously, this would be a life-threatening move, but...

...in the end, as it always had for his entire life, his kindness won over his fear.

Slowly, oh so slowly, the freckled boy took a cautious step towards the pathetic animatronic and held out a tentative hand as a small, terrified smile tugged up the corner of his lips. "D-Do you n-need some h-h-help?"

The man in the suit merely stared, the rotting rabbit's mouth hanging slightly agape. Was this guy serious? Looking into the boy's wide eyes, the former Guard could tell that yes, this boy truly meant every word he had just said.

"...You must have a death wish," came the mumbled response from inside the animatronic suit. Kenneth flinched but kept his hand outstretched, trying desperately to hold the tiny smile on his face. As close as he was, the former murderer had yet to attack him... maybe, just maybe, he was on to something.

After a moment of tense silence, the man in the suit had to look away. This boy was totally different from anyone he'd ever met; despite revealing his true nature just a short while ago, the false Guard was offering him a helping hand. It was unbelievable.

The former murderer knew that he should do away with this idiot, and fast. If he didn't want to be any more of a sideshow attraction than he already was, he needed to get rid of the only living person who knew his true identity. It was plain and simple, and surely an easy task; despite the pain of the suit (that he was now getting fairly used to), he knew that he was much stronger than he had formerly been as a human.

And yet... he was intrigued.

There was no better way to put it; he was completely taken aback by the boy whose first instinct- well, second after running away, was to come _back_ to the horrifying creature that attacked him and offer his assistance. The man in the suit's choice was no longer an easy one:

Should he kill the boy who knew who he was, or should he take the proffered hand and see what the idiotic young man would do next?

While this mental debate was going on, Kenneth slowly retracted his hand. This had been a horrible idea, and he knew it. The thing, broken as it may look, was probably going to spring to life any second and attack him, and this time he wouldn't have a chance to get away. His muscles tensed, getting ready to run.

"...You're very...interesting," the man in the suit finally said, locking gazes with Kenneth. The boy gulped, and the rotting rabbit's head tilted to one side. "...Fine. I suppose I'll give you a free pass for the moment."

Kenneth gave him a meek, relieved smile. "D-does that mean...You w-want my help?"

Heaving a heavy sigh, the man in the suit gave his best attempt at a small smile that wasn't completely horrific. "I suppose I wouldn't mind a small hand here and there... It's not like there are many places for me to _go_ in this hellhole of an attraction, though, so I doubt I'll be moving around _that_ much... if I can help it."

"I-I was hoping...You'd s-say that." The false Guard's eyes shined as he reached out and tentatively gave the rabbit a pat on the top of its rotting head. The texture of the faux fur was odd, but not _entirely_ revolting.

Said rotting suit flinched involuntarily at the affection, and Kenneth yelped and jerked his hand back. The one fully-formed rabbit ear tilted downwards as the man in the suit felt a strange sort of sensation that he couldn't quite place.

"...I'm sorry," he said, his voice low, not entirely understanding why he was apologizing. "I...I'm not used to people being kind to me." This boy was obviously clinically insane, so why did the former Guard feel a twinge of discomfort when he became visibly upset?

"I-It's okay," Kenneth replied, giving another kind smile, an action that was becoming increasingly easier as the seconds ticked by. As of now, the half-animatronic seemed fairly docile; Kenneth hoped  it stayed that way.

There was a moment of silence. The air was tense, as if both creatures were waiting for the other to make a move. Kenneth wondered if the animatronic was going to turn on him, and the man in the suit was wondering likewise. Surely this boy's kindness was an act, right? No one could be _that_ naively nice...

"...Your shift ends at six am, right?" he eventually asked, getting tired of the silence. Briefly, his gaze shifted to the clock hanging on the wall behind the desk. Kenneth glanced up at it as well, then quickly looked back at the rotting rabbit, deciding that it probably wasn't a good idea to divert his attention for too long _just_ yet.

"Yeeeep," the false Guard replied, his voice turning to a yawn; the conversation reminded him of just how much he needed to get used to these new hours. "And, um, th-then I am most c-certainly sleeping. Why?"

"I was just..." The half-animatronic paused, then tilted his head questioningly. "...Are you seriously going to continue working here? Knowing that _I'm_ just around the corner from your office?"

A short pause, and then Kenneth replied, simply: "...Well, uh, y'said you wouldn't hurt me... And hey, um, the boys would be upset if I left."

"'The boys,' huh?" The man in the suit guessed that these were the people whose brilliant idea it was to open Fazbear's Fright. The rabbit ears tilted down as he looked out into the hallway for a brief second, before focusing his attention back on Kenneth. "Have they told you about the _other_ member of this attraction, by any chance?"

Kenneth's brow furrowed for a moment, then he shrugged. "No, s'just you. PD w-was really, really pumped to have you, y'know..."

"...Right. It's just me." Strange; it appeared that the owners had neglected to inform their new Security Guard about the vengeful Marionette roaming the halls. The rabbit's head tilted questioningly. "'PD?'"

"Yeah, PD." Kenneth gave a tiny smile. "I-I mean, um, 'Phone Dude', th-that's what we call 'im!"

"Oh. I see." The man in the suit blinked; an odd choice of nickname, but who was he to judge? A creeping feeling began to make its way up his spine, causing him to take another paranoid look into the hallway. "Are you _sure_ that, uh... 'PD' never mentioned any other... _things_ in the attraction?"

Kenneth cocked an eyebrow. Why was this animatronic-human-thing _so_ insistent about this? Surely, there must be a very good reason for its persistence. "Um...no?"

The former Guard stared hard at Kenneth, still trying to size up this seemingly naive boy. He certainly acted innocent, but from personal experience the man knew that looks could be deceiving. However, he could find nothing in Kenneth's mildly calm-yet-still-terrified expression that implied the boy was lying.

"...Okay," the man in the suit finally relented, knowing that it was pointless to push the topic any further than he already had. Besides, his limbs were starting to ache again. He paused for a moment, glancing at the desk in the center of the room. "Has anyone mentioned something about... I think it's called an 'audio cue,' or something? It's a noise that you can play in different rooms; I think you may have played it earlier in your shift before I... came over to visit."

The rabbit's grin widened ever-so-slightly at this comment, and Kenneth did his best not to shiver. He quickly walked over to the desk and picked up the tablet. "Oh, yeah! Um, th-they said just t-to press it every now and then, and it plays this little laugh." As though to demonstrate, he pressed a button on the screen and another childish laugh echoed throughout the building.

"No, wait-" Abruptly, the animatronic suit was wrenched into a standing position and began shuffling towards the room that the sound came from, much to the dislike of the dead man inside of it.

Kenneth blinked, surprised, and placed the tablet down on the desk. What in the world was the man in the suit _doing_? With a grimace of embarrassment, Kenneth realized that he never learned the man's name... so, instead, he called out, "Sir?"

Said man did not hear this, for it was at this moment that he ran into the other member of Fazbear's Fright. Giving the Puppet the biggest glare he could muster in a vain attempt to silence its near-hysterical laughter, he hissed, "Shut up! This is _your_ fault!" The Marionette continued to laugh as the animatronic jerked his way towards the Party Room. Kenneth trailed along after him, nervously biting his lip and hoping that whatever he had just done wouldn't cause the thing to snap again. He failed to notice the tall, thin, dark shape slipping away into the shadows at his approach.

Finally, the rabbit made it into the room and came to an abrupt halt, nearly causing Kenneth to run into his back. Thankfully the false Guard was able to stop himself just as the animatronic turned to face him, eyes flashing as he said, quietly, "...I was going to tell you _not_ to play that."

"I-I'm sorry!" Kenneth gulped, holding his hands in front of him as innocently as possible. "I d-didn't know you'd b-be _forced_ t-t-to follow the noise!"

"It's another... quirk of being stuck in this suit," the animatronic responded after a moment. An indistinct movement diverted his attention to a dark corner of the room, and he narrowed his eyes, appearing to speak to the corner as opposed to Kenneth _. "Someone_ made the part of the suit that responds to sound still active. Therefore, since this thing is now permanently half in suit mode _and_ half in animatronic mode because, well... you obviously know why-" He turned back to the guard and tilted an ear, to which Kenneth nervously nodded. "-whenever I hear the laughter the suit is compelled to go towards the noise. It's an ancient design from the very first Pizzeria restaurant."

Kenneth glanced into the dark corner that the rabbit had just been staring at, frowning slightly before answering. "O-oh, geez, I--Sorry, then, that's...Yeesh."

"Yes, so if you could kindly refrain from playing that laugh _ever_ again, that would be great." The man in the suit let as much attitude drip from his voice as he possibly could; if this idiotic boy truly wanted to stay working in the attraction, he did _not_ want a repeat incident.

Instead of responding, however, Kenneth continued to stare into the dark corner. Something was definitely there, something that had not been there a moment ago. The sudden shifting noise of the rabbit animatronic's weight from one foot to another prompted Kenneth to jump slightly and respond, "Oh! Right! Y-yeah, I, yes, of course, mmm-hmm!"

"...Are you okay?" The man in the suit raised a metaphorical eyebrow. "That was a lot of affirmation for a simple request..."

"...Heh. S'nothin'. Hallucinating again."

The man in the suit tilted a questioning ear. "I thought we'd already established that I'm real, Kenneth."

"N-no, I, uh...Something was staring at me. I'm tired. I-I just need sleep."

The animatronic glanced into the corner and noticed a thin shape once again beginning to rise from the darkness. He had no idea what the Marionette wanted, but whatever it was surely could not be anything pleasant. _And_ , he thought with a strange, unexpected twinge of discomfort, _whatever the Puppet wanted most likely involved the stupid Night Guard as well..._

"You should be going," the man in the suit said abruptly, beginning to walk out of the room and towards the exit of the building. "Now."

"W-wait, uh, what?" Kenneth jumped at the animatronic's sudden briskness, feet still planted firmly in the center of the room. "I--It's--It's not six yet--"

"Yes, but..." He scrambled to think of an excuse, though still unsure as to why he so desperately wanted to get the Guard away from potential harm. He could feel cold, black eyes watching them both intently. "I...My 'daytime mode' is activated at six!" It was a flimsy excuse, but he had a feeling that Kenneth might just go for it. "Generally, that should make me _less_ of a threat, but, well...I can't be completely certain how I'll react to a live human, so... you should go before that activates!"

"I--That's--What!?" Kenneth began shuffling towards the door, instinctively trying to move away from the animatronic as it began to walk towards him. What in the world was thing going on about?! "I, well, I don't think--That's nothing to be that eager about, st-stop!"

"Just go! Go!" The rabbit pushed the guard a little too roughly, accidentally knocking him off-balance. The man in the suit quickly backed off, aware that whatever new, bizarre bond of trust formed between him and Kenneth over the previous hour or so was still _very_ fragile. "...Ah, shit...I-I'm sorry..."

"Ah! Ah-ah-ah!" The Guard almost tripped over his own feet, then jumped up with a yelp. "I-I--S-someth-thing touched me--!"

The combination of the Marionette's presence, his increasing exhaustion as it neared six am, and Kenneth overly-dramatic personality once again pushed all of the man in the suit's nerves over the edge. Without thinking about what he was doing, he grabbed a hold of Kenneth's forearm and hissed, " _Where is it?!"_

"Wh-where is what?! Th-th-the hallucination?!" Kenneth's eyes widened and his breath quickened; how could he let the rotting rabbit grab a hold of him?! Surely, this would be the end of everything; there was no _way_ the former killer would let him go now _._

"It's not a hallucination, you idiot!" The animatronic gripped the false Guard's arm even tighter. "Where _is it?!"_

"What--What is, I don't, what are you t-talking about!?" Vainly, Kenneth tried to pull his arm away, but he was afraid that he wouldn't be able to withstand the animatronic's strength ...

Slowly, realizing how absurdly he was acting, the rabbit released his hold on the guard, trying to speak as calmly as possible. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry...It's just... Look, there are a few more things that you have yet to learn about this place." He  glanced at the clock again, his one fully-formed ear tilting downwards, as if disappointed. "It's five-fifty-seven; your shift is almost over."

"...Yeah," Kenneth replied, his panic slowly as he looked up at the clock. He gingerly rotated his arm, making sure that it was still fully-functional, then swallowed and focused his attention back on the rabbit. "B-but hey, always tomorrow, heh... Right? And... And we can talk about...That hallucination?"

"Yes..." The former murder's voice sounded strangely hesitant. "If you're still willing to come back tomorrow?"

Kenneth gave him a genuine, if albeit tiny, smile. "Hey. O-of course"

The man in the suit did his best to replicate the grin and gestured towards the door once more. "Then I'll see you tomorrow, Night Guard."

Kenneth spared one last look at the rotting rabbit, then grabbed his things from the office and exited Fazbear's Fright with a shake of the head and a chuckle of disbelief. He had just (sort of) befriended a mummified man trapped in an animatronic suit.

The next few nights at the Attraction were going to be _very_ interesting.


	5. Chapter 4: The First Repair

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Another pause; another chance for either one of them to suddenly turn on the other. And yet, neither of them made a move. In fact, this thought never even crossed their minds- an unsurprising fact for one of them, a surprising fact for the other."

** Chapter 4: The First Repair **

           The main door to Fazbear's Fright gently opened, and Kenneth paused before walking across the threshold, gathering his nerve. The night before, he'd left the former murderer-turned-animatronic in what appeared to be a semi-friendly state. However, the question remained as to whether this seemingly docile personality would stay, or whether the murderous feelings would take over again and send Kenneth on another frantic run for his life.

_Well,_ the false Guard thought, squaring his shoulders, _I'll never know if I don't try._ He slipped into the building quietly, closing the door behind him, eyes darting around. Though the fact that there were no creatures in sight should have been reassuring, Kenneth couldn't help but feel a sense of unease at the lack of knowledge of the rotting rabbit's whereabouts. Quietly, hesitantly, he took another step forward and mumbled, "...Sir?"

           As the clock hands signaled midnight and the plaintive voice sounded, the former murderer slowly began to wake up from "Daytime Mode" and re-gain control of the suit. While experimentally flexing the fingers of the oversized yellow hand, he heard the door to the attraction opening from a few rooms over.

           Kenneth, meanwhile, slowly wrung his hands, as he meandered down the halls, eyes swiveling every which way for some hint of gold. The silence was almost more terrifying than the half-animatronic itself. Something--Something was watching him this time, he could feel it... He swallowed hard and said, a bit louder this time, "You s-still here, s-sir?"

           As he fully came to his senses, the man in the suit pinpointed the voice of the security guard from the night before calling down the hallway. He let out a barking, mirthless laugh; he didn't think that the trembling Guard would _actually_ show up again... The boy really _was_ a complete fool. Still, he'd made the effort to visit, so the former murderer should at least be cordial.

           "...Kenneth?" he responded, a hint of amusement in his voice.

           Ah, _there_ was the half-animatronic! Kenneth stuck his head down another hallway, blinking, smiling slightly at the sight of the decaying yellow suit. The smile was a combination of residual fear and relief that the events of last night weren't just a sign of his mind deteriorating at an unnaturally early age.

           "Y-yep, it's...Heh...It's me!" the false Guard responded with a small, nervous laugh. The rotting rabbit shook his head in disbelief, tilting an ear downwards.

           "You actually came back...," he muttered. "You're crazier than I thought..."

           "Yeeeeah, well..." A slight redness appeared in Kenneth's cheeks as he absently rubbed the back of his neck. "Th-they said it was hard t-to find a g-guard- can't let them down..." 

           The rotting rabbit stared for a second, before shaking his head slightly and mumbling, "...Right." Sighing heavily, he looked down at himself; the last time he had been unceremoniously moved during the day by one of the owners of the attraction, he'd ended up leaning against a corner of the room, fully supported by the wall. He knew that it would hurt like hell to get up from this position, but he needed to move at _some_ point. Glancing up at the false Guard, almost ashamedly, he asked, "...So, is that offer of 'help' still open?"

           "Of course!" Kenneth responded without hesitation. His eyes lit up and he smiled wide. "It's, uh, I'd th-think it's always open?"

           "...Thank you." Slowly, the former murdered reached out both decaying hands, desperately willing himself not to flinch at either the pain or the imminent human contact. He felt sure that the boy would turn tail as soon as fur met flesh and leave this horrendous attraction behind. To his great surprise, however, Kenneth leaned forward and took the robot's metal claws in his own hands with slightly less hesitation than he had the night before, pulling back and helping him to his feet.

           Once the half-animatronic righted himself and was fully stable on two legs, he snatched his hands (or were they paws, now?) back from Kenneth with more force than intended, causing the easily-frightened boy to jump and let out a tiny squeak of surprise.

           "Ah, sorry about that," the man in the suit said, palms up in a gesture of non-aggression. _That_ particular action wasn't intended to spook the boy.

           "I-it's n-no issue, Sir," Kenneth replied, laughing awkwardly, eyes shifting every which way as he wrung his hands together. The rotting rabbit tilted his head curiously.

           "You really don't have to call me, 'Sir,' you know."

           There was a pause, and Kenneth's wide eyes briefly settled on the man in the suit before he looked away again, responding, "...Oh, uh, heh, sorry. Mister."

           "...Well, I suppose it's better than, 'Sir," the man in the suit relented. The one fully-formed rabbit ear tilted downwards questioningly. "Shouldn't you be getting to the security office?"

           Kenneth shrugged. "Wh-what's to watch? A-all th-there is is hallucinations..."

           The rotting rabbit's eyes darkened. "...I've been trying to _tell_ you, not _everything_ is a hallucination."

           "B-but th-there are s-some." Kenneth said this matter-of-factly, and then quickly added, "You aren't! You're not--I--I know!"

           "I'd certainly _hope_ you know that I'm real, since you've physically touched me more than once." He shook his head slightly. "But... what exactly do you _mean_ that you see hallucinations? Hallucinations of _what_?"

           Kenneth hesitated. Then, in a smaller voice, said, "...Um, j-just...Just some...Robots... "

           "...Robots?"

           "Y-yeah."

           "...That doesn't give me a lot of information to go off of," the man in the suit replied, then gestured to himself. "I'm old, my circuits are fried, and my brain is...well, it's probably _long_ gone by now. You need to give me more details, because I certainly can't read your mind." Though he hated to admit it, he was curious. He was curious as to what this frightened boy saw when the ventilation failed and, more intriguing, why these phantoms of long-gone children's characters hadn't sent Kenneth running out the door the first time they appeared.

           "W-well, um, there's a--A few, er, there's this fox, and a bear, and a...A duck...?" The false Guard frowned, a crease forming in-between his eyebrows. "I--I think it's a duck. Maybe it's a chicken. And a kid 'bot. And this oth-ther fox, but it doesn't do anything, um...I-I think they're a-all from the old place, and they make loud noises and...And get in my face..."

           "Well... Freddy, Chica, and Foxy were all, for lack of a better word, 'possessed' by the children that I... you know," the rotting rabbit explained, trying to leave out a few of the more gory details. "But...the others shouldn't have anything to do with that, so..." He paused, thinking, and then asked, "When do you _see_ these hallucinations?" 

           "U-usually wh-when I look up from the camera, but, um...Some of them are on the camera...And sometimes this creepy face watches me..."

           Something about that last sentence instantly set the former Guard's nerves on edge. A hand twitched once as he met Kenneth's gaze. "What _kind_ of face?"

           "Um." Kenneth paused, looking away in thought. "It--It's pretty white, with deep black eyes, and r-red cheeks and, um, th-these weird purple tear marks."

           Alarm bells began to ring throughout the half-animatronic's brain. Quickly, his gaze darted around the room he and Kenneth were in, which was lit with dim light that managed to illuminate everything save for a dark corner at the opposite end of the room. How had he not noticed that corner earlier?

           "It messes with all my stuff, so I can't look through the camera, and I can't reset the vents," Kenneth continued, oblivious to the rotting rabbit's discomfort. "So sometimes they'll s-seal off and I pass out and...It's not fun."

           Expecting a response, Kenneth smiled at the half-animatronic. However, the golden rabbit seemed thoroughly distracted by something over his shoulder. Kenneth glanced behind him, saw nothing, and looked back at the rabbit, raising an eyebrow. "...Somethin' wrong, Mister?" 

           Quickly, the animatronic's gaze snapped back to the false Guard's. He knew for a fact that Kenneth would freak out if a certain creature were to pop out of the dark corner behind him so, without actually touching the human, he placed a hand behind his back and gently guided him towards the doorway. "Let's go back to the office. It's... I don't like this room; it brings back too many... memories."

           "Oh, um... okay." Kenneth obeyed the implied command, confused but deciding it best not to ask too many questions at the current time. He'd have a few more days to learn all about the former Guard, after all.

           The rotting rabbit ushered him towards the office, lagging behind with the effort of moving the heavy suit. However, he made sure to always watch the guard's back and occasionally check over his own, decaying shoulder to make sure that nothing followed them down the deserted hallways. Nothing _did,_ thank goodness, though this didn't stop the guard from wringing his hands and looking antsy. Talking about his hallucinations only made him more fearful of them. Eventually, he entered the office, plopping onto his swivel chair with a gentle sigh. 

The half-animatronic looked at the desk, debating whether it would break if he put his weight on it; it most likely would, he thought, so he settled for leaning against the doorway. He also reasoned that, though it was a little awkward to talk to the guard from this distance, he could effectively block the door should an unwanted visitor come down the hallway.

           "...S-so, um...," Kenneth spoke up, unable to bear the silence. He smiled awkwardly. "Things g-getting better? Y'know, nothing... nothing bad happen during the day or...?" 

           The former Guard laughed wryly. "Other than the fact that I have absolutely _no_ control over this body during the day, and will occasionally spout out such phrases as-" Abruptly, his voice switched to that of a robots', presumably what the original Golden Bonnie animatronic was meant to sound like. "-Welcome to Fazbear's Pizza! A place of friends, fun, and laughter!" He paused, voice switching back to a more human-sounding tone, "...everything is about the same as it has been since I woke up a few days ago."

           The voice switch make Kenneth jump, but he swallowed back his nerves, smiling awkwardly and attempting a laugh. At least the half-robot seemed not to mind having a simple conversation. "Um--W-well, s'not t-too bad, I-I guess! I mean...Could be worse."

           "Well...I _do_ occasionally have some unwanted visitors, but..." Here the former murderer paused, debating whether to reveal his constant tormentor to the frail-nerved guard; deciding against it, he changed his response. "...You know, the owners of this place. They're still re-arranging stuff to try and get it ready for the 'grand opening,' and they like to move me around _all_ the time..."

           Kenneth gave another small, instinctive laugh, but cut it off with a hand slapped to his mouth. Eyes wide, he gazed at the rotting rabbit, hoping that he wasn't offended by the chuckle. To his great relief, the creature didn't seem to care. Slowly placing his hand back in his lap, the false Guard asked, "Um, th-that doesn't hurt, right? I could ask if they could d-do it a little more gently..."

           "No." The half-animatronic shook his head. "It seems like the trade-off for an utter lack of bodily control during the daytime is that the pain is mostly gone. Mostly."

           "...Mo-mostly?" Kenneth bit his lip, concerned. "Um, are you sure there's, there's nothing I can do?"

           The golden rabbit stared at him, unimpressed. What the hell did _he_ think he could do? Still, there was no harm in humoring the good-intentioned boy.

           "If you could just... tell them not to drop me as much, or let my ears-" He glanced up and ran a hand through the space where the top of his right ear should be, making the exposed wires spark a bit as they were touched. " _-ear_ , drag along the ground, that would be great. I'm already falling apart as it is."

           Kenneth flinched at the spark. Then, he looked down at the desk, gently opening a drawer and beginning to rifle through it, speaking as he did so, "N-no problem! I-I'm sure they'll get it."

           The rabbit tilted his head questioningly, silently watching him and wondering what in the world he could possibly be looking for.

           "Hah!" Suddenly, Kenneth broke out in a grin, pulling a roll of electrical tape from the desk drawer. "I knew th-they kept some junk in 'ere!" The former Guard blinked, utterly confounded as to what the younger boy was doing. Kenneth hopped out of his chair, gripping the tape tightly, and took a few hesitant steps towards the off-putting animatronic. "U-um... You... Mind if, maybe, I tape your ear up?"

           The rotting rabbit gave no indication of an answer for quite a long time. Letting Kenneth help him stand up was all well and good, but actually allowing the Guard to _repair_ a part of the hazardous costume was another thing entirely. Yet, as the man in the suit found himself thinking more and more as the hours ticked on: _what could it hurt?_ _He_ certainly had nothing else to lose. Slowly, he bent down into a crouching position- a blessedly simple feat, for the pain became easier to manage with each passing minute. "...Sure. Just be careful. I'm not sure how much of a shock those wires will give you..."

           "Oh, uh, I--I'll b-be fine," Kenneth reassured him. The false Guard had repaired more than a few exposed wires in his time. Standing on his tiptoes, he gently wrapped some tape around the half-missing ear. "If it hurts, y-you tell me."

           "No, it's fine. I obviously didn't have rabbit ears when I was a human, so these things are completely connected to the suit and therefore I don't really have any sense of feeling from them." Here the man in the suit paused, a twinge of anger bubbling to the surface of his strangely-composed demeanor as he recalled how mistreated this already-damaged suit was. "It's just aggravating when I can see the fur being ripped off by the ground as I'm being dragged _upside down_ around this damn place!"

           The suit subconsciously twitched at the raised voice. Kenneth, meanwhile, very consciously flinched; however, he still kept wrapping the ear until the exposed wires were bandaged. "...I-I'll ask them t-to be careful."

           "Thank you."

           "N-no problem." He finished the repair, splitting the tape and pulling away. "Um. Better?"

           The rotting rabbit reached up and touched his ear, surprised at how much of a difference a simple bit of tape made. "Much." Another awkward pause; those strange _feelings_ recently plaguing his psyche were beginning to make themselves known again. Once again, he became possessed by the unnatural sensation of _being grateful._ "Uh... thanks again. You're... being exceptionally kind to me, and I'm still finding it hard to understand _why_..."

           Kenneth gave him a small smile. "...S'just, y'know. Feels right." He laughed awkwardly, walking back to put the tape away. The rabbit's eyes flashed darkly.

           "It feels 'right' to help a ruthless murderer through his well-deserved torment?"

           "...It f-feels right to help a person through a-an eternity in a kid-friendly iron maiden," Kenneth countered immediately, not missing a beat. The older man blinked.

            "Hah, 'Iron Maiden...'" He laughed wryly. "I couldn't have described it better myself..."

           "Y-yeah, PD p-played th-these tapes, and, and, well...It d-didn't m-make those suits sound all that fun, that they didn't."

           "Well, you get used to them after a while." The man in the suit did his best to shrug. "It was just part of the job description, you know? And I would have been _fine_ , if only...if only the leak in the ceiling hadn't come back after it was just repaired..." Here he trailed off, thinking back to the day he had been trapped.

           Kenneth stayed silent for a while, frowning, looking away. Eventually, he said: "W-we don't hafta' talk about it. If you don't want."

           "It's just... I know it happened thirty years ago, but I've been asleep for so long that it feels like it happened just the other day..." The former murderer glanced at the false Guard, the eerie grin of the suit seeming to widen. "But I'll spare you the story for now; with _your_ reaction to things, I'm afraid that you'll pass out if I tell you the gritty details."

           A meek little laugh, but it seemed to waver a bit in nervousness. "Um, y-yeah! I apprec-ciate that!"

            "Of course."

           Another pause; another chance for either one of them to suddenly turn on the other. And yet, neither of them made a move. In fact, this thought never even crossed their minds- an unsurprising fact for one of them, a surprising fact for the other. Eventually, as was becoming the common occurrence, it was Kenneth who broke the dense silence.

           "...S-so, um...Wh-what were you so freaked out b-by last night?"

           The rotting rabbit's gaze locked onto the Guard's. However, he remained silent, debating once again whether it would be safer to tell the Guard or let him remain unaware. He then frowned mid-thought- as well as the decaying face could emote- also wondering _why_ he had such a sudden, strong urge to protect this easily-startled human and _where_ it had come from. Soon, though, he decided that there was no use hiding it any longer. Heaving a sigh, he began his explanation. "...Look. You know that one hallucination you were telling me about? The one with the white face and purple tear marks that gets right in front of you?"

           Kenneth shifted uncomfortably in the swivel-chair. "Um, y-yeah?"

           "Well... that's _not_ a hallucination. Before you start calling me contradictory, let me say something else: I know for a fact that most of the animatronics you're seeing in this room are in fact _not_ actually the real thing, since they truly are long gone. Maybe- probably- you seeing the Fazbear cast has something to do with the ventilation failing... _But_ , that Puppet _is_ also a real animatronic, just like I am, and it's somewhere in this attraction."

           "I--Wh-what--!? Th-that's--" Kenneth stumbled over his words, completely taken aback. "PD said you we-were the only working one; he w-was super stoked that you w-were the only working one!"

           "Well, he's _severely_ mistaken... I'm sure you've noticed all these dark corners around the building; that's where the Puppet likes to hide out and watch people- well, mostly me. But he watches _everyone_ \- including, I'm sure you've guessed, none other than your trembling self."

           "I--Th-thats--!? Oh, oh boy, th-that's... I-is it... Dangerous?" 

           "That's.... debatable. It... well, as long as you're not on its bad side, you should be alright. Although..." The rotting rabbit cast a furtive glance out of the long office window. "I don't think it'll be too fond of you helping me..."

           Kenneth gulped. "...D-does it...Know I'm he-helping?"

           "Oh yes, I'm sure it does." The man in the suit stared out of the window a moment longer, as if the Puppet would be summoned simply by talking about him; however, when nothing moved outside, the rotting rabbit looked back at the Guard seated at the desk. "If you _do_ see it... just ignore it and run. Or hide behind me, if I'm with you; it'll most likely only care about me."

           Kenneth swallowed hard, a lump forming in his throat. He paled slightly, not liking the sudden warning. If the stand-offish former murderer offered _himself_ as a half-human shield, the situation _must_ be dire. "O-okay, um, but, but it, it won't s-see me, right?" 

           "Of course it'll see you; it _does_ have eyes, after all. They look like nightmare-inducing black holes, but apparently it can see _quite_ well..." He flinched at some recent daytime memory, and then looked back at Kenneth. "But, like I said, there's really no reason for him to have any interest in you, aside from the fact that you're willingly helping to ease my suffering."

           "...Um, o-okay, I'm--I'm sure--I'll b-be okay, n-no problem, I--It won't--It won't c-come after me, I'm sure, it, it won't..." Kenneth began nodding to himself, repeating this mantra. As if cued by this, a sudden thump sounded from down a neighboring hallway.

           _"Shit!_ Why doesn't this room have a door?!" the man in the suit exclaimed, instinctively moving closer to the frightened Guard. Kenneth basically screamed, ducking under his desk and curling into a ball. A clicking sound, like thin feet on tile, began to echo.

           "Damn..." The rotting rabbit glanced at the trembling human under the desk. Then, he stumbled into the hallway as quickly as he could, shouting loudly: " _Hey, take a break from terrorizing for a night, will you?! This guy didn't do anything!"_

           "...Who even said I was looking for _him_?" a soft voice purred, almost disembodied, as it's body couldn't be seen. "...My friend?"

           At the sound of the voice, the half-animatronic's entire body instinctively froze with fear. However, he managed to hiss: "We've been through this, Puppet... I'm _not_ your friend."

           "Oh, but you are." The voice chuckled. "My best friend, now."

           The rotting rabbit pointedly ignored this comment and walked over to the desk, addressing the guard huddled underneath it. "Just stay there, alright? It doesn't _seem_ like it cares about you, but it can also be...unpredictable."

           Kenneth whimpered in reply, squeezing his eyes shut, tears falling onto his cheeks. "O-okay, right here, right--Right here--"

           The former murderer turned to address the Marionette, which finally made itself visible just outside the doorway. "Whatever you want from me, let's take this into the hallway; that terrified thing under the desk doesn't have any reason to get involved."

           "Oh, yes, indeed," cooed the Puppet, arms loosely crossed. "Heaven forbid innocents get hurt." A snicker escaped its gaping mouth. "Never mind the six or more innocents hurt before this day, and the countless guards before this one... never mind _those_ innocents." 

           A low, instinctive growl escaped the rotting rabbit's throat, sounding like a cross between human and robotic voices mingled together. The Marionette simply laughed at this, gently striding into the office, absently admiring the decor and saying, "Besides, what's one more coward to _you?"_

           The Puppet's comment gave the man in the suit pause; he stood still, trying to work through the cloudy thoughts recently plaguing his mind. As a mere human, albeit a deranged one, he wouldn't have given a second thought if a fellow employee of Fazbear's Entertainment was in danger. However, now the sight of Kenneth's trembling back coupled with his gasping sobs- oh, God, the noises sounded so _disgusting_ and _snotty-_ sent an uncomfortable, unidentifiable twinge through his long-melted-away-chest.

           "...Listen, I can't even begin to explain this, so I won't try," the rotting rabbit began, gesturing to the shaking figure under the desk. "But all I know is that I want you to get the hell out of here. You can do whatever you want to _me_ \- magically rip me out of this suit and have it impale me to death again a hundred times over; I certainly deserve it! But just leave _. Him._ Alone." He punctuated these last words with a pause in-between them, trying his best to stand firm; as much as he hated to admit it, this flimsy Puppet scared him more than the five ghost children that had forced him into the spring-lock suit in the first place. It was as if the Marionette was the embodiment of _all_ the souls he had brutally ripped from the world, and it took all of his willpower not to mirror Kenneth's frantic trembling as he stared the Puppet down.

           The Marionette stared hard at Springtrap, its smile unchanging. Then, it slowly began to walk around behind the desk. "Why?" it asked, voice feigning innocence. "Why do you need him? Do you believe he can free you from your shell? Because if you believe you can exploit one man's pathetic kindness for your own twisted reason--Well... I think I might have to remind you of something you said many years ago." And it's voice went horribly, horribly bitter.

_"You can't."_


	6. Chapter 5: Springtrap

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "'Well, yeah, it's, it's inexcusable... But...' Kenneth bit his lip, thinking of how best to put his feelings about the situation into words. 'Th-that doesn't mean you should be stuck here f-for it... Right? Ev-even the worst guys on earth are gone now.' He ventured to step a little closer, to reach out and pat the rabbit on the shoulder. '...I'd want someone to help me. Even if I, if I was, well, horrible. I'd w-want someone to smile.'"

** Chapter 5: Springtrap **

           Though his human body was long-rotted away, the former murderer felt an imaginary, icy chill run down his spine at the Puppet's words. Knowing that something _very_ bad would happen if he didn't act, he quickly reached under the desk and grabbed Kenneth's arm, forcefully dragging the crying Guard out from underneath his make-shift shield and yelling, " _Run! Go, just run!"_

Kenneth was reduced to babbling, terrified out of his mind--But he stumbled onto his feet and bolted out of the door faster then he'd ever run in his life. The Marionette watched him leave, chuckling low. "...Aww. How precious."

The rotting rabbit glared at the Puppet, and another inhuman growl escaped his throat. Then, composing himself, he said in a strangely calm tone, "Don't you think that it's a bit hypocritical to take out your revenge on me for killing innocent people by using _more_ innocent humans to torture me?" 

           The Marionette's fingers twitched. Then it replied, equally calm, "Old habits die hard."

           The rotting rabbit tilted his head, unsure of what the Puppet was implying. The thin creature, however, chose not to elaborate. Instead, it crept up closer, reaching out and running a finger down the rabbit's face. "...What are you using him for, may I ask?"

           The former Guard shuddered at the touch and smacked the Marionette's hand away, internally smirking a bit at the satisfying sound of hard metal meeting flimsier plastic. "...I'm not 'using him' for anything. He came to work here, met me last night, and, being the idiot that he so obviously is, decided to come back again for another shift."

           "...Mmm," the Puppet hummed, pulling its hand away swiftly, a slight tinge of disbelief in its tone. "Well, then we should certainly remove him from the position."

           "...How so?"

           "Oh, I don't know." The Puppet shrugged casually. "We could lock him out, throw him into a ditch and leave him on his own. Or, your personal favorite hobby: we could _murder_ him!"

           "I'm _not_ going to kill him." The response was instant, said without a second thought. It surprised the former murderer how easily those words had left his mouth; he thought that the inclination to kill would be forever ingrained in his mind, and yet here he was, with the _perfect_ opportunity to murder a simple, bumbling security guard...yet he couldn't bring himself to even _imagine_ doing such a thing to the innocently oblivious Kenneth.

           One of the Marionette's stick-thin hands seemed to twitch. It turned towards the rotting rabbit. "I do beg your pardon?"

           "I said that I'm _not_ going to murder him," the half-animatronic responded, doing his best to shrug. "He's probably been scared off, anyway; I highly doubt that he'll show up again after _this_ traumatic experience." 

           "Oh, charming. Then maybe big bad Vincent can work up the nerve to not be such a soft-hearted idiot, mmm?"

           The sound of metal pressing tightly together echoed throughout the empty hallway as the half-animatronic gritted his teeth. "Don't mock me, Puppet... I thought that _you_ , of all... _things_... would be the _last_ one to encourage me to kill again."

           "I'll mock you as much as I please." A hand reached out, poking the rabbit's nose. "Besides. I know you don't want to hurt anyone anymore. The movement makes the metal shift..."

           The former murderer made an annoyed sound, knowing that the Marionette was completely correct; however, there was still a small part in the back of his mind that knew the potential pain wasn't the _only_ reason he wanted to spare the Guard's life. What that other reason _was,_ however, would be a discovery for a later time. For now, the man in the suit turned his full attention to the Puppet in front of him.

           Casually, the thin Marionette strolled over to the Guard's desk, leaning back and sitting atop it, legs crossing. "...So. Tell me. What do you want with him?"

           The rotting rabbit furrowed his heavy brow to the best of his ability, staying silent. The Marionette clucked its tongue, annoyed.

           "You must want _something,_ if you're saving him."

           "I... I-I don't..." The half-animatronic abruptly leaned against the wall with a heavy thud, twitching at shock of pain before saying softly, "I really don't _know_ why I'm doing this..."

           The Marionette became silent. Then, it laughed.

           "...Oh, don't tell me you're friends."

           "I don't _have_ friends," came the snapping response.

           "Said the rabbit urging a stupid little coward to run away?"

           The former murderer remained silent, unable to think of an appropriate response. A whirlwind of confusing thoughts ran through his mind, and it was getting hard to make sense of them all.

           The Puppet stayed silent for a moment, too. But it soon stood up, leaning nearer. "...What if I don't hurt him tonight? What then?"

           "...Then hopefully he won't return and someone else will take his place," the rotting rabbit answered slowly. "And I'll be sure to stay far, _far_ away from whoever this new person may be so that _you_ don't threaten to do... whatever it is that you were going to do to Kenneth"

           "Cross my heart." The Marionette chuckled. "Hope to die."

           The former Guard narrowed his eyes, not appreciating its humor. "...Are you just going to sit here and chat with me for the rest of the night, or are you going to go back and sulk in one of your dark corners?"

           "Sulk?" The Marionette sounded surprised. "Oh, I never sulk. What do I have to sulk about? Everything's just... Peachy."

           The golden creature scoffed and started walking towards the doorway. "You keep telling yourself that. I personally have no inclination to stay in here with you any longer, so I'm going to walk around; got to keep these old joints from rusting even more, after all. Feel free _not_ to come along." 

           "No, I have my own matters. But one thing." The Puppet paused, its voice dropping dangerously low. "If I spot you being all buddy-buddy with that guard... Consider the humanity I allow you to keep null and void. Are we clear?" 

           The former murderer stopped abruptly, turning to face the Marionette. "...And what is _that_ supposed to mean?" 

           The Puppet came one long step closer. "I can do a lot more tinkering then I already did."

           He resisted the overwhelming urge to back away and stared the Marionette dead in the eyes, hissing the question, "Like _what?"_

           "Oh, I don't know." Another small nudge closer. "Jiggle a few wires and make it impossible to ever exit daytime mode, perhaps?" 

           This time, the rotting rabbit couldn't help but flinch. Having control for six hours was _far_ better than having absolutely no control of the suit at _any_ time, yet still being conscious as his body-prison moved and spoke of its own accord. The flinch was noted--And the puppet couldn't help but laugh. "I take it that's not desirable?"

           "What the hell do _you_ think, Puppet?!" the half-animatronic snapped back, tired of the Marionette's constantly teasing tone.

           "I think I'm being remarkably generous to my best friend." It shrugged. "So I'd accept my generosity while it's still here."

           The golden rabbit gave the Marionette one last fierce glare and then stomped out of the office, wandering off towards the Party Room for a change of scenery. The Puppet seemed to melt away into the shadows, not following behind. In the hall, the last of a few panicked murmurs dimmed.

           The robotic rabbit ears, programmed oh-so-well to respond to even the subtlest of noises, instinctively perked up at the fading murmurs. However, the remaining human half of the suit shook his head and tried to ignore the sound, continuing to wander through the empty hallways.

           The silence was... unnerving. From the dim atmosphere came a faint whimper.

           "...Mister?" The second query was much louder than the first. " _M-Mister?_ Ow! Ow, _ow_..."

           Kenneth poked his head into the hallway. Comically, he was wearing an animatronic head--Foxy's--as some sort of a mask, leaving a lighting fixture sparking and a few more lies for him to tell PD. Though that didn't make the leftover wires digging into his skin any better. "I-is, um, it's gone, right? Where'd you--Mister?"

           Hearing the cry of distress, it seemed as if some residual function of the spring-lock suit wanted to respond, making the half-animatronic stop in his tracks and put all of his willpower into _not_ going backwards towards the noise, muttering to himself, "Stupid piece of _crap_! And stupid, idiotic guard..."

           Slowly, Kenneth walked into the hall, wringing his hands, eyes darting around, though his makeshift mask didn't let him see very well. Step, step, step-- "Mister?" He stuck his head through another doorway--There's the rabbit! "O-oh, th-thank god, I-I was, was really sc-scared and..."

           "Go away, Kenneth," the former Guard said softly, refusing to turn around. He wanted to avoid as much contact with Kenneth as possible, and that included even looking at him; he had no idea what that psychotic puppet would consider a "buddy-buddy" action towards the trembling boy.

           Kenneth himself stopped dead, slowly popping the Foxy head off of his skull--Which showed he'd gained a variety of scrapes from his hiding spot. "Um--S-sorry? I-I thought... I... I was helping you, r-remember?"

           The man in the suit laughed without humor, as if a personality switch in his brain suddenly flipped. "I'm sorry I let you believe that stupid notion for even a _moment_. You _can't_ help me, you idiot; I've already told you, this is my well-deserved punishment, and you're just a person who foolishly chose to put himself in the middle of it."

           The freckled boy set the head down slowly, coming up a little closer. "B-but... I-I don't want you getting hurt, or, you know, wh-what if that weird hallucination-but-not Puppet thing tr-tries to, um, to, to hurt you? I... I can't l-let that..."

           Rabbit ears twitched at the mention of the Marionette. Darkly, still not turning around, the half-animatronic spoke:

           "Don't you _get_ it? I'm _already_ hurting, and so I _should be_." He began pacing back and forth, still refusing to look at the Guard. "I _murdered_ six cheerful, innocent children who had their whole lives ahead of them. They were going to grow up to be doctors, or teachers, or whatever else took their fancy... and I took that all away in a short, few minutes. They didn't deserve to be punished, but it's not like I can go back into the past and stop what I've done. So, now, I need to take on the burden of the pain that I've caused _all_ of them." Finally, his haunted gaze met the wide-eyed Guard's. "And 'helping me,' which you're so insistent on doing, completely counteracts _everything_."

           Kenneth uselessly blubbered for a bit, trying to find the words. Soon, he sighed loudly. "But--But I--I-I want to he-help you get out of th-there! And move on! B-because, what i-if you're stuck there forever, with just th-that mean p-puppet for comp-pany, and, and nobody's th-there to make it better and..." He sighed again. "Y-you d-did b-bad things, bu-but... From how you were talking l-last night--a-and tonight!--, you, you didn't mean it, right?"

           The former murderer took a long pause before answering, thinking hard about what the Guard implied. "...I meant it at the time, certainly; I wouldn't have actually gone _through_ with killing those children if I hadn't meant it. But... it's almost as if being asleep for so long, I don't know... 'cleared my mind,' for lack of a better term. Or... wiped my memory of exactly _why_ I did what I did would be a better way to put it, actually.

           "I... I now understand for a fact that what I did was _wrong_ , and also that it's completely, utterly inexcusable, but I just can't remember _why_ I had the urge to..." Another pause, followed by a slight shake of the head, rabbit ears bouncing with the movement. "That Puppet... it's... sort of like my prison warden, I suppose you could say- it makes sure that I'm as uncomfortable as possible _and_ that I can never, _ever_ escape from this hell-hole of a place. Which is more than I deserve."

           "Well, yeah, it's, it's inexcusable... But..." Kenneth bit his lip, thinking of how best to put his feelings about the situation into words. "Th-that doesn't mean you should be stuck here f-for it... Right? Ev-even the worst guys on earth are gone now." He ventured to step a little closer, to reach out and pat the rabbit on the shoulder. "...I'd want someone to help me. Even if I, if I was, well, horrible. I'd w-want someone to smile."

           The man in the suit wrenched his shoulder away, quickly looking around for any movement in the shadows; thankfully, he saw nothing, and focused his attention back on the boy. "...You know, it scares me how legitimately stupid you- hey, what _happened_ to you?!" Since the Guard was so close, the half-animatronic finally noticed the scratches all over Kenneth's face.

           "...Huh?" Kenneth paused, reaching up, pawing at his face and wincing as he touched a cut. He laughed sheepishly. "I, uh, y'know the fox light fixture? I... I was...Wearing it..."

           The initial response was a dumbfounded stare, followed by a resigned sigh. "You're a fool, you know that? That particular head isn't meant to be a mask for _humans_ ; it's supposed to fit over an _endoskeleton_! That's why it's full of wires and metal pieces that obviously weren't very kind to your face!"

           "W-well, I, I thought--It was just, just a hiding spot! So it...Wouldn't find me."

           "I'm pretty sure the human body sticking out from underneath the head would give you away..." 

           "...Well... It didn't find me..."

           The rotting rabbit merely shook his head in response. Kenneth sighed, rubbing his face, wincing in pain.

           "I'm f-fine," he said reassuringly. "But, um...If you don't want m-me around, why'd you want to see if I was okay?"

           "...I didn't," the former Guard responded truthfully. "I happened to be walking in the direction that you were hiding in, and _you_ started following _me_. Then you got close and I saw the cuts on your face and wondered if you'd tripped on your own shoelace and used your face to brace yourself from the impact with the ground, or something to that effect."

           Kenneth pouted. "...I-I'm not that big of an idiot! I'm juss' a nice guy..."

           Though the man in the suit certainly realized that the constant insults might be a bit unnecessary, he didn't want the Guard to take more of a liking to him than he apparently already had. "Well, how would _I_ know that? Seventy percent of the time I've known you, you've either been trembling, hiding, screaming, or a combination of the three."

           The boy's shoulders slumped and he looked away, rubbing his arms. "Y-yeah, but, I know I'm a coward, but... I-I still... I wanna help, right?"

           "Oh, for the love of-I _told_ you, Kenneth, you _can't_. _Help_. _Me_." The last three words were punctuated with an aggressive shake of the head. "You're just posing as the Night Guard of a 'haunted house' that hasn't even opened to the public yet; I'm fairly certain that it's _not_ a part of your job description to help the trapped soul of a murderer."

           "Yeah, but guarding my life because of k-killer robots wasn't there either!" Kenneth countered. After a moment, the man in the suit inclined his head. 

           "Fair point. But that's not the same thing."

           "Ye-yeah, it p-pretty much is. Except one is survival and o-one is... Basic kindness." The rotting rabbit's heavy sigh of annoyance was promptly ignored as Kenneth reached out and patted the fuzzy, golden shoulder. "S-so... So I'm gonna help you. No ma-matter what."  

           The robot flinched away from the touch, then promptly hissed in pain as one of the joints in his arm locked, metal scraping nastily against exposed bone.

           Kenneth jumped, gasping, "A-Are you okay?!"

           "Yes, fine, it's just... the usual thing..." Gingerly, the man in the suit shifted his arm until the joint unlocked, closing his eyes briefly as the pain gave him one last shock before subsiding.

           "...O-okay, phew, um... M-maybe I could get you some oil or s-something? So it wouldn't lo-lock, um, like that?"

           "I don't think that's the problem..." The half-animatronic looked into one of the many holes in the arm of the rabbit suit, noticing a very torn-up piece of dark fabric situated in a position that would easily catch in the joint should he bend his elbow a certain way. "Ugh, I've always _hated_ this damn uniform; always catching on things even _before_ I got impaled..."

           "...Be-beg your pardon?"

           "Nothing, nothing." He raised an eyebrow at the Guard. "So... are you going to actually finish your shift, or do the smart thing and get the hell out of here?" Kenneth blinked.

           "O-of course I'm f-finishing my shift. I...I mean...Why wouldn't I?"

           "Oh, I don't know..." The former Guard's tone was sarcastic; he gestured vaguely. "...it's not like there are psychotic animatronic-human hybrids wandering around, and puppet-things that have a strange urge to terrorize you for no apparent reason."

           "...You're not psychotic," Kenneth answered calmly. He could tell that the former human was getting aggravated again. "A-at least, not right this second. Y-you said...You wouldn't hurt me."

           Golden eyes locked onto green. "And you believe that without any doubt in your mind?"

           "We-well...Yeah."

           The half-animatronic was utterly dumbfounded by the Guard's honest answer. "... _Why?_ I... I don't understand how you can think that..."

           "W-well, I mean..." It seemed as though Kenneth would have to spell out his obviously logical reasoning. Of course, he didn't mind doing this at all; hopefully, it would help the former Guard with his _own_ understanding of the current situation. "If you wanted me dead... You would have k-kept me under the desk instead of telling me t-t-to run, right?"

           "..I suppose that's a valid point..."

           "A-and... If you really wanted to hu-hurt me...You would have. Right now. Si-since I'm unarmed."

           The former murderer remained silent, keeping his gaze locked onto the Guard's. Kenneth was absolutely right; if he _truly_ wanted to hurt the boy, he could simply have killed him right then and there, effectively erasing that particular piece of leverage the Marionette held over him. However, he knew that too-kind-boy didn't deserve that; he'd just picked the wrong job at the wrong time.

           Kenneth gave an awkward smile, nudging the rabbit. "So... S-so you won't hurt me. N-never." The half-animatronic shook his head at the friendly gesture but, for once, didn't jerk away.

           "...'Never' is a long time, Night Guard," he muttered. "Things can change more quickly than you could ever imagine." 

           "...You...You c-can still call me 'Kenneth', y'kn-know."

           "I know, it's just that..." He paused, searching for the words.  "...camaraderie has never been my strong suit. And besides, I've already used your name multiple times; is it so wrong to use a nickname every once in a while?"

           "Well, okay, fine, but, but I don't call you 'robot rabbit'."

           Said "robot rabbit" rolled his eyes at the ridiculous title. "Fine, I see your point."

           "Hah. S-so... So there." Kenneth gave an awkward, triumphant laugh.

           The soul trapped inside the decrepit suit felt the strange, unexpected urge to smile back. It didn't feel like a mirthless grin; no, this was a different sensation tugging up the ethereal corners of the former human's mouth. Trying his best to ignore this unwanted sensation, he responded: "Alright, I won't call you 'Night Guard'... as often."

           "Fine. Fine." Kenneth tilted his head curiously. "S-so, erm--So about _y-your_ name..."

           The one fully-formed ear tilted downwards. " _My_ name?" 

           "...Yeah. Um. The--The boys were calling y-you 'Springtrap', but, but I doubt that's the name you were born with..."

           The rotting rabbit chuckled. A new chance at life certainly deserved a new name, didn't it?

           "'Springtrap' is a _very_ fitting name for the state I've been reduced to, I think."

           "Well... Yeah... But, y'know, if you don't w-want to be called that... I-I could call you whatever you w-were when you were, um... human, I-I guess."

           Another chuckle, darker this time. "My 'humanity,' or whatever tiny bit was left of it at the time, disappeared the moment I was impaled by this suit. The new name you suggested is a perfect representation of that."

           "You--Oh, do-don't give me that." Kenneth crossed his arms defiantly. "You h-have a lot of humanity. The rotting rabbit tilted his head, prompting the guard to elaborate. "...Robots don't g-get annoyed with th-their jobs."

           There was a small pause in which Springtrap simply stared at the easily-frightened Guard, trying fruitlessly to understand this strange boy's thought processes. Eventually, he responded, "Well... this isn't necessarily a _job_ , being in this thing, even if I'm supposed to be the 'selling point' of this attraction; it's more like a curse for me." 

           "...Which is why I'm ge-getting you out of it! I pr-promise." Kenneth gave a small smile.

           "Good luck with _that-_ " Suddenly, the animatronic suit began to feel extremely heavy, causing the rotting rabbit to rest his hand against a nearby wall for support, lest he unceremoniously collapse onto the floor. "Ah, d-damn... what t-time is it?"

           "It's... It's probably nearing six..." As Kenneth turned his head to check one of the old-fashioned clocks hanging near the ceiling- which gave a surprisingly accurate time, now that the Guard thought about it-, a thin body and white face appeared to just... materialize from the darkness, staring down at the rabbit. However, when Kenneth glanced back at the half-animatronic, the face was gone once more. "Um, y-yeah, shift al-almost over."

           Springtrap certainly felt the Marionette's presence, but it was taking all of his focus just to remain on his feet and thus chose to ignore the watchful eyes. Instead, he addressed the Guard, "I thought so... I-It's almost time for this suit to switch into d-daytime mode, s-so I'm losing c-control..."

           "D-do you need help sitting down?" Kenneth asked, approaching gently. "I, um, I could help..."

           "No!" Springtrap exclaimed, knowing that the Puppet remained close by. "No, I... I c-can do it my-my- _myself_!" At this last word, his formerly-human voice seemed to briefly switch to that of the robot's. The rotting rabbit attempted to sit down, but landed hard on the floor and fell back against the wall, ending up helplessly on his side without the strength to right himself. He could hear a faint laugh echo from somewhere in the shadows.

           Kenneth heard the laugh, too, and it made him tense up. But he swallowed something back, reaching out to Springtrap and grabbing one of his arms, attempting to pull him up. "Um--H-hang on--"

           "Don't touch- _Welcome to F-F-Freddy_ \- t-touch me!" the former murderer hissed. In the middle of his exclamation, the animatronic side of Golden Bonnie's pre-programmed greeting began to play, disconcertingly cementing the fact that there were, in fact, two separate beings inside one body- a robot, and what was left of a disturbed human soul.

           "It'll--Almost--Aha!" With a heave, the robot went into a more dignified sitting position, Kenneth laughing triumphantly once more. He seemed oblivious to the voice shift- or, more likely, he simply chose to ignore it. "S-see, that's better!"

           "Th-th-thank you," Springtrap stuttered out begrudgingly. Though he could no longer move his limbs, he could at least keep his eyes trained on the freckled boy.

           "Heh, d-don't m-mention it. But you're welcome." A giant smile crossed Kenneth's face. "S-see you tomorrow?"

           "I-If you insist on- _Wel-Wel-Welcome!-_ coming back t-tomorrow..." Springtrap found it nearly impossible to speak in his original voice; Golden Bonnie's greeting once again injected itself into the middle of his sentence. He knew that this was probably the last thing he would be able to say before the six am bell rang and he was once again fully reduced to "daytime mode."

           "Of course!" Kenneth froze for a second, as if mentally debating something. Then, on a whim- and knowing that he faced no physical repercussions from the half-animatronic at the moment, he gave Springtrap a quick pat on the head. Then, with another grin, he waved goodbye. "Um, see you!"

           With this final exclamation, Kenneth turned, rushing for the door... And leaving a less than approving Marionette waving goodbye to him.

           Springtrap's eyes followed the Puppet as he saw the Guard off. The former murderer had to admit: the urge to attack that flimsy plastic _thing_ was growing stronger and stronger every time he looked at it

           "...He won't last tomorrow," the Marionette chuckled, looking back to Springtrap. "...And _you_ aren't getting off easy either." 

           The rotting rabbit glared as hard as he could, using his last remaining bit of strength to mumble: "W-w-what do you m-m-mean?"

           "Somehow, and God knows _how_ you found it inside your shriveled, old heart to do so... You've grown fond of him," the Puppet explained. Its sinister grin seemed to widen. "And I don't want you taking advantage of yet another naive human. I'll have to find some way to hinder you..."

           Desperately, he tried to call out: "I don't give a _damn_ about him!", but the words simply wouldn't come. He hoped that the Marionette would elaborate on his vague threat before disappearing into the shadows, but he knew that there was a chance he'd be left wondering, as usual.

           "Heh. And I think I know how to do so." The Puppet began walking away as bells faintly chimed throughout the attraction, giving Springtrap one hint of his plan: "Your suit's _so_ horribly dirty..." 

           The former Guard's eyes widened in fear, but the Marionette continued to walk until he had once again blended into the darkness. Springtrap tried to scream out in frustration, but all he could muster was a robotic:

           " _Hi, kids! I-I'm your favorite f-f-friendly bunny, Bonnie! L-Let's sing a s-song together!"_

           And with that, he once again resigned himself to his "daytime mode" state, knowing that twelve am couldn't come soon enough.


	7. Chapter 6: Past Inclinations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "'I truly am sorry for all that I've done.'
> 
> The Marionette paused for a long while. It stared at the half-animatronic; was he being serious? Surely, he couldn't have gained remorse for his actions this quickly. But maybe-
> 
> No. The Puppet's instincts were correct; those eyes, shining with an eerie light beneath the rabbit facade, still possessed the hint of darkness that it had come to know all too well."

** Chapter 6: Past Inclinations **

           Slowly, the front door creaked open, causing the Guard to wince; he still hadn't gotten used to the loud sound, even though this was technically his fourth night on the job. Kenneth stuck his head in, an old throw blanket draped lazily over one shoulder. He walked inside the desolate building, closed the door, and began to creep down the halls, calling out as he went:

           "M-Mister...?" 

           The former human consciousness painstakingly began to take control of the Golden Bonnie suit. Just like the past few nights, it would take Springtrap a few minutes to fully regain control of this old-yet-new body. He heard the faint call of the security guard but chose to ignore it, focusing on first putting strength into his limbs as opposed to his voice.

           Kenneth turned a corner, and, if he was remembering correctly... _Aha!_ The boy smiled, walking up to Springtrap, who currently sat against a wall in the Party Room. Gently, he wrapped the throw blanket around the robot.

           "...You awake?" the false Guard asked, waving a hand in front of the half-animatronic's glassy eyes. Springtrap felt a light pressure suddenly envelop him. As his eyes lit up with life from the trapped soul inside the suit, he immediately noticed the Guard staring down at him. Slowly, the rotting rabbit looked down and saw the blanket. He raised his head to meet the boy's gaze again, tilting one ear questioningly.

           "...I, uh, y'know, I thought you would like it," Kenneth mumbled. He sat down in front of the former murderer, leaning slightly forward. "Y'know, so, so you don't... Feel like a cold lonely r-robot." 

           "C-Can't...feel....t-temperature...," Springtrap managed to croak out.

           "I know. Y'told me." Kenneth gave a small laugh. "I thought you'd like it anyway."

           Springtrap simply stared at the Guard, experimentally flexing his fingers. Mildly unnerved by the robot's measured gaze, Kenneth continued talking, unsure if the rotting rabbit was upset by the gift or not. "...Y'know. To hold onto humanity and... Stuff." Quickly, he realized that he was rambling and stopped, shoulders slumping. "...That's no-not dumb, right?"

           With a significantly less amount of effort than before, Springtrap shook his head and said, "N-Not... entirely."  

           Another smile, Kenneth's green eyes brightening up a bit. "An-and hey, if there's an-anything you n-need, um, you tell me, okay? I'll get it for 'ya, I promise!"

           "Just... go back to your office." Abruptly, Springtrap tried to stand up, the blanket falling off of him in the process. Kenneth's eyebrows knitted in confusion, watching the rabbit rise, tilting his head slightly.

           "B-but, I...Wh-why?" 

           "Trust me, you're a _lot_ safer in that office  watching the cameras than you are out here in the open with _me_ ," the rotting rabbit said, voice back to normal. To his great relief, he finally regained full control of the suit. However, with motor control also came the pain- milder than the past few nights, but still bad enough to cause a great deal of discomfort. Gingerly, wincing, he bent down to pick up the blanket and hand it back to the Guard. Kenneth blinked at the proffered blanket and stood up as well, shaking his head.

           "N-no, you keep it, I m-mean it."

           "...Suit yourself." Springtrap swiftly turned away, throwing the blanket over his shoulder as he did so, and walked off towards the opposite end of the attraction- as far from the security office as he could get. Kenneth watched him go, a slight frown pulling down his lips, but tentatively began to leave as a distant chuckle echoed through the air. 

           Rabbit ears perked up at the laugh but the half-animatronic kept walking, determined _not_ to let the Guard get caught up with the Marionette again. When he finally made it into the Party Room, he turned around and was relieved to see that Kenneth _had_ in fact gone into his office. However, another chuckle from behind caused the rotting rabbit to quickly whirl and face the open room as something tall and thin stepped out of the shadows. The blanket fell unceremoniously to the floor.

           Today, the Puppet was holding something: a mop, neatly on its shoulder, and a bucket clutched gently in its other hand. It set the bucket down, looking back to the man in the suit with a chuckle. "Good morning."

           "What the _hell_ is that for?!" Springtrap snapped, not in the mood to play games.

           "Cleaning," the Marionette said flatly. "Someone has to clean this childish dump."

           "Isn't that what the janitors are for? And besides... isn't it _supposed_ to look 'authentically weathered,' or something ridiculous like that?"

           "Perhaps. But I don't mean the floors tonight."

           The rotting rabbit didn't answer at first, staring blankly at the Puppet; then, the realization of what the creature implied hit him and he instinctively turned to run out of the room. But, of course, the decrepit suit didn't allow for fast or sudden movement, so the half-animatronic almost immediately collapsed onto his hands and knees, trembling and twitching at the sudden rush of pain echoing throughout his body.

_Too fast,_ he thought to himself, mentally cursing. _This damn thing isn't ready to go that fast yet..._

           Casually, the Marionette dunked the mop into the bucket. Then, just as casually, it strolled up to the creature lying helplessly on the floor. "...Like I said, your suit is so very dirty..."

           "I-It's an animatronic suit!" the rotting rabbit quickly tried to reason with the Marionette. Deep down, though, he knew that his words were in vain. "You can't get it wet, or the systems will get fried; you at _least_ have to turn it off, first!"

           "Oh, that's right!" It feigned surprise, coming up even closer. "And if the systems fry... You could get hurt! And why would I want _that_?"

           Physically bracing himself by covering his face to the best of his ability, one of the few human instincts still left within his decades-old soul, the man in the suit peered out from between his raised arms and said, quietly, "...How did you become _so_ twisted? I thought you were just a child trapped inside that flimsy piece of plastic..."

           "Decades of torment. Decades of being imprisoned in a box. Decades of sneaking around--" It flicked the mop, spritzing the rabbit with water, "-moving restaurants, keeping myself undetected for this very moment..."

           Springtrap flinched as the water droplets fell on the outside of the suit and into some of the rotted-out holes, but remained silent; if he was going to be subjected to this torture no matter what, he might as well listen to what this disturbed "child" had to say.

           "Knowing that those other five would always loathe me for trying to save them." Another flick. "Knowing that they would never accept me for all my good intentions--And knowing the only salvation I'd ever get is bringing one man who ruined everything I ever had to justice and eternal torment." And with one more step, the Puppet was close enough to press the mop to the suit.

           The former murderer slowly lowered his arms, leveling his gaze with the Marionette's. One last-ditch attempt to quell the fury lurking inside the Puppet. "...I know that nothing I could ever do will make up for the torture I've subjected you and the other children to, but... I truly _am_ sorry for all that I've done."

           The Marionette paused for a long while. It stared at the half-animatronic; was he being serious? Surely, he couldn't have gained remorse for his actions _this_ quickly. But maybe-

           No. The Puppet's instincts were correct; those eyes, shining with an eerie light beneath the rabbit facade, still possessed the hint of darkness that the creature with the mop had come to know all too well. It laughed, a short, barking sound.

           "Sorry? Oh, spare me. You're not sorry."

           "I am." The response was just as flat as the Puppet's condescending tone. As much as the former murderer wanted to make the other creature believe his words, he simply couldn't spit them out truthfully enough.

           "You're a _liar_."  Slowly, ever so slowly, the Marionette began to drag the wet mop across the decaying, golden suit. As a few drops fell onto an exposed wire near the shoulder, the whole arm twitched violently. Springtrap tried his best not to cry out in pain, not wanting to give the thin creature the satisfaction. "You've always been a liar. Manipulating an innocent man." It dragged the mop slightly up, watching the water roll and drip as it laughed to itself. "Killing innocent kids by pretending to be good. You don't have a sorry iota in you."

           As the water seeped through the rotting fur to the metal casing, wiring, and mummified skeleton underneath, the suit's twitching became increasingly more erratic. The former murderer couldn't help the small groan that escaped his throat as he fell fully onto his side, writhing with pain. The Puppet took the mop away, if only momentarily, staring the rabbit down.

           "...Nothing else to say, mmm? Big bad Vincent's all tapped for those smooth little words?"

           Finally losing his loosely-composed temper, between the spasms of pain Vincent managed to hiss out: " _S-Screw_ you, you b-bastard!"

           The Marionette laughed, shaking it's head. "There. That's what I wanted to hear. Your little wails of pain." It loomed over him, leaning down slightly. "...Now... Do I have to keep cleaning, or am I clear?"

           In response, the rotting rabbit glared up at the Marionette and uttered a low growl, a sound much more fitting for the beast within than the human voice had ever been.

           "I'm certainly clear," the Puppet said, nodding to itself. It looked over its shoulder, exhaling slowly. "...Meaning I have another... Matter to attend to."

           By the way the thin creature's eyes sparked with a dark light, it took no longer than half a second for the rotting rabbit to realize what this "matter" was. His eyes widened and he made a pitiful swipe towards the Marionette, missing the thin leg by inches. He choked out: "H-He's done nothing to you!"

           "And six children did nothing to _you_." Its tone flattened. "Your point being?"

           "...S-shit." He knew that the Puppet had a point; it was simply doing to one person what he himself had done to six others. The Marionette's pinprick eyes rolled, the mop was set on the floor, and it turned around, beginning to walk away.

           "...I'm sure you won't miss him anyway..." 

           Eyes widening, the rotting rabbit tried to get up, but all of his strength seemed to have left him as the joints and wires suffered from water damage. He knew that he shouldn't give a damn about what happened to a simple Guard; he had himself, after all, killed six children and become one of the most well-known local murders of all time for his crimes. And yet... he still felt a gnawing dread at the thought of what the Marionette was possibly going to do to the unsuspecting man in the office.

           So many ways to kill a human... Surely, the Puppet wouldn't pick one of the nicer ways to extinguish someone's life. Especially if this was all for revenge.

           Suddenly, the former Guard remembered an important fact about the building they were in: Kenneth was in the _office_... with the _cameras_! Trying to use as little strength as possible, Springtrap turned his head so that it was facing the camera placed near the ceiling, strategically, thankfully, angled right towards him. He managed to raise one not-as-waterlogged arm off the ground and wave it frantically

           _Click_. The camera seemed to shift. A little green light blinked on, the camera focusing--But then the light fizzled out. _No no no--_ A button was slammed, and the light blinked back on, the camera focusing once again on the failing animatronic.

           Said creature saw the camera angle towards him slightly and knew that Kenneth was watching; he furiously gestured with one arm, trying to warm the Guard of the impending danger. The camera remained unmoving and the equipment itself certainly didn't seem to understand. Then, suddenly, a loud gasp sounded throughout the Attraction, followed by a shriek. The camera clicked off.

           As the "on" light faded away, the half-animatronic let his arm fall to the ground, closing his eyes. He was too late. The Marionette must have already reached Kenneth. Quietly, he muttered: "Ugh, he... he didn't do anything to deserve _that_..."

           _...Beeep, beeep, beep..._ A red light and a warning siren blared throughout the building. Something fell to the ground--Something cracked loudly--And then, there were heavy steps running down the hall. The rotting rabbit turned towards the sound, knowing that something _very_ bad had just occurred. As quickly as possible-though still rather slowly because of the residual pain spasms as small pools of water fell onto exposed wires, he attempted to get to his feet.

           The bucket in the doorway was suddenly knocked over as Kenneth turned the corner, the Guard giving a yelp as water spilled and he lost traction on the floor. There were gashes all over his arms, his face slightly bluer than usual; obviously, the poor man was desperately trying to catch his breath. He regained his balance and ran like hell down the next hall, oblivious to the familiar face he'd just passed.

           _"Kenneth?!"_ the rotting rabbit called out, utterly dumbfounded at who had just rounded the corner. One more attempt- _success!_ He was now fully upright, though his hands and ears still twitched at nauseam.

           Some panting resounded as the Guard turned around and bolted back into the room with a sort of drained look on his face. "Springtrap!"

           The half-animatronic stumbled towards Kenneth heavily, water dripping from the suit, tone incredulous, "Y-You're... not dead!"

           A nervous laugh from the trembling boy. "Well, you know, I, I, um, I think--I broke th-the tablet and the P-Puppet tried to fit s-some of th-the toy parts on me, but for right now at this exact moment, yes, I'm okay!"    

           Springtrap reached him and started pushing him down the hallway opposite from the security office, heading towards one of the emergency exits "What happened to the Marionette?!"

           "It--It, um, I whacked it with the tablet a-a few times and--And now--I can't--Find--It?"

           "I didn't think you had it in you..." The rotting rabbit let out a small chuckle of amazement and surprise, roughly patting Kenneth on the back. Suddenly, his ears picked up a strange sound coming from the far hallway. A creature walking, every other step the noise of something thin against tile, while the second step sounded like something metallic being dragged across the floor. Springtrap pushed Kenneth towards the exit with renewed vigor. "Go, _go!"_

           Kenneth yelped loudly, running towards the exit as quickly as he possibly could. Soon, he reached the exit, shoved open the door, and dashed away into the night. Right behind him, the former murderer reached the door, took one step over the threshold... and was knocked backwards, as if by some invisible force-field. He landed unceremoniously on his back, instinctively gripping his head from the impact with the floor, though the newly-formed dent in the back of the suit probably deserved more immediate attention.

           The door slammed shut, causing the unnerving dragging sound to stop. Something landed on the floor with a _whumph_ before the clicking resumed, picking up speed. Hearing the noise coming closer, Springtrap painstakingly got to his feet and tried again to shove the door open, to no avail.

           A shadow spread across the floor, the Puppet stomping into the room. Its pinprick eyes darted back and forth wildly. "...Where is he?"

           Springtrap gave up on trying to leave and turned around to face his tormentor head-on. "He's gone. He got away."

           "He--He _got away!?"_ A bit of static, more akin to an old record player then a radio, crept into the Marionette's voice. It's hands curled. _"He got away!?"_

           "Is your hearing failing you now, too?" the rotting rabbit asked scathingly. " _Yes,_ he got away. He left through this door-" He gestured to the Emergency Exit. "-and I highly doubt that even _he's_ stupid enough to come back tonight."    

           The Marionette looked up to the door, its fingers curling tighter, starting to tremble. "You let him _go!?_ "

           "...I certainly did." Springtrap sneered, standing up straight to his full height which, including the ears, was a few inches taller than the Marionette. "I would have gone _with_ him, if I hadn't been stopped from leaving this hell-hole by some invisible barrier that I'm sure _you_ constructed to keep me here forever!"

           "Oh, yes, of course!" The Puppet's arms crossed, infuriated. "Let the rotting rabbit wander the streets; I'm sure _that'll_ go well!"

           "Don't get mad at _me_ for this; _I'm_ not the one who drove the guy off by trying to _kill_ him!"

           "Oh, like you wouldn't have tried to eventually! I've had it with your manipulative trite-"

           " _I'm_ manipulative?! _I'm manipulative?!"_ Finally, Springtrap reached his limit. To him, this was the very definition of madness: getting blamed for letting a potential murder victim run free when he himself was constrained to a building because of some decades-old curse brought about by his _own_ murderous deeds. And _he_  wasn't even the one going after Kenneth in the first place!

           Taking a few short, heavy steps forward, he grasped the Marionette by its thin waist, voice raised as loud as it could possibly be. " _You_ have done nothing but manipulate _me_ ever since I woke up in this _damn place!_ From the first day I was re-activated in this death-trap, have I tried to do anything to you that _wasn't provoked by your actions first?_ And now, you're taking your frustration out on a helpless security guard who obviously doesn't mean either of any harm; in fact, he's blatantly stated that he wants to _help_ you! Not just me- _you._ He wants to _help_ you _,_ Puppet- the complete opposite of what _I_ want. I thought that you might have been at least a _little_ more sensible after all this time, but apparently, I was _dead. Wrong_."

           With that rant out of the way, he abruptly began to squeeze the Puppet's fragile waist. The thin creature gave a staticy yelp at being treated this way, seeming stunned with the gall of it. Its hands reached down, trying to pry the half-animatronic away, some static pouring from its voice box. "N-now, my friend, don't be hasty..."

           The former murderer merely squeezed harder, enjoying a perverse sort of pleasure at the Marionette's increasing distress. "Now, now, 'friend...' I think it's time for me to finally be in control. This attraction _was_ built for _me,_ you know." He gestures around the dim hallway with his free hand, the bright EMERGENCY EXIT sign casting his face in an eerie red pallor. A wide grin revealed the mummified skull hidden behind the animatronic mask. 

           "Yes--Certainly, let me go--" The Puppet laughed awkwardly, frantically picking at his fingers, clearly unused to being in such a... compromising position. "Of course! Release me--"

           "...No." With that, Springtrap squeezed hard until he heard a satisfying cracking sound. There was an almost unbearable amount of static and he released the Marionette. It fell to the floor, twitched once, then was still. 

           Silence, for a long while. And then, the thin creature just seemed to dissolve away, into the darkness.

           The half-animatronic stared at the empty space for a moment, wondering where it went; then, he realized... he absolutely didn't care. It seemed, at least for now, that he was finally free to roam about the attraction of his own accord. _He_ was the one in control once again, at least until six am.

           Letting out a low laugh, the former murderer stalked off to freely explore his new-found home.


	8. Chapter 7: A Second Chance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "He had gotten a second chance at life, albeit a very strange and painful one, but a second chance nonetheless. Subconsciously, his soul wanted to at least try doing something different with whatever time he had, and that included going against the urge to 'despise on sight.' This time, maybe he could try the opposite approach."

** Chapter 7: A Second Chance **

           As the clock struck twelve, Springtrap began to experimentally flex his limbs once again. To his surprise, the pain had significantly lessened; it was still present, and more or less intense depending on how much he chose to move, but definitely not as noticeable overall. He chalked this up to the Marionette's sudden disappearance. It surely wasn't gone for good, that much was certain, but a quick inspection of a few shadowy corners of the attraction proved that it was definitely in hiding, at least for the time being. Springtrap couldn't help but grin to himself at this new position he found himself in:

           It seemed that he was, finally, the one in control.

           _Creeeeeeak..._ The front door opened slowly, the Guard poking his head into the room hesitantly. Quickly, he scurried in and shut the door. He was pale as a sheet, hands constantly wringing, eyes darting around. Immediately, Kenneth scampered into the security office, though to his dismay there was no way to check the cameras- the tablet, though mysteriously placed ever-so-nicely back in the center of the desk, had a spider web of cracks running along the surface, caused from the jarring impact it received the previous night. _Ooooh,_ he _told_ PD it needed to be replaced!

           Hearing the door open and then slam shut, accompanied by frantic footsteps, Springtrap figured that the Night Guard had arrived. In the back of his mind, he'd known that the overly-friendly Kenneth would indeed return for another shift, despite the attack he suffered the night before. Ah, well; if the boy wanted to risk his life again, what right did the former murderer have to judge? Moving with much more ease than usual, he meandered over to the long window in front of the security office.

           Kenneth gazed down at the broken tablet, looking like he was about to cry. Springtrap lightly tapped on the glass, startling the Guard, who gave a horribly loud yelp. Jumping out of the swivel chair, the boy breathed hard for a while, freckled-cheeks flushed red, some panicked tears slipping out... But seeing it was Springtrap, he loosened up a bit, putting a hand on his chest in an attempt to make his breathing more stable and his heartbeat a little slower.

           "Come on, Kenneth, you've already made it _this_ far," the half-animatronic said wryly, moving over to the doorway and peering into the room. "Don't have a heart attack on me _now!"_

           Kenneth still trembled a bit, looking over to Springtrap with a sheepish smile. "I--Sorry, I've, I'm on edge, d-didn't get any sleep, nightmares, P-PD thinks th-this is more of my crazy ha-hallucinations..."

           "I would be even more concerned if you _didn't_ have nightmares, after all you've been through..." Springtrap walked fully into the room to stand in front of the desk; it was easier to talk to the Guard this way. The boy didn't even flinch at the rotting rabbit's close proximity. Instead, he sighed, falling into his chair.

           "...Y-yeah, well... I'm ti-tired as hell. Not feeling great. But..." He paused to pick at a band-aid, one of many on his arms. "...I'm h-healing."

           The former murderer took note of the countless scratches covering the Guard's face and arms, feeling a minute pinch of... _something._ Some strange emotion that he couldn't quite place, nor did he necessarily want to. All he knew was the fact that, since Springtrap himself seemed to be the root cause of all bad events happening in the Fazbear's Fright, these injuries were essentially _his_ fault.

           A few more picks at the band aid. Kenneth frowned, shaking a little. "But... D-did it hurt you?"

           Springtrap let out a short, barking sort of laugh, nodding slightly. "I presume you saw me lying on the floor, frantically waving one arm at you?"

           "...Heh, well, y-yeah, I did...Wh-what, um, what happened?"

           "...The damn Puppet tried to give me a bath."

           "O--Oh, oh god, you mean-" Kenneth's bright eyes widened. "-A-are you damaged!?"

           The half-animatronic gave himself a quick once-over, noticing a few new, small, rotted holes in the suit's faux-fur outer casing. "I'm... a little worse for wear, yes. But... I'm alright."

           A grateful little sigh. "Th-that's, um, oh, that's super... Good."

           "...You really _do_ worry about me a lot, don't you?" A rabbit ear tilted downwards, revealing the growing confusion of the human soul within the suit. Kenneth smiled without hesitation, though it didn't quite reach his eyes.

           "Of course I do," he said, more quietly than usual. He _did_ care; he truly did! But... it would take a little longer than twenty-four hours to recover from the Puppet's surprisingly relentless attack. Kenneth frowned slightly. "...It--It's gone, though, right? Gone?" 

           "Well... probably not for _good,"_ Springtrap admitted. "But I definitely did some major damage." He grinned slightly, recalling the memory. "After you escaped, it came limping after me, but I decided to... to give it a new look. It's probably lurking _somewhere_ around here, but I highly doubt it'll be able to do anything to us for quite some time."

           Kenneth broke into a giant grin, letting a small laugh slip out. "Th-that's super great!" The rotting rabbit simply blinked at the Guard, the boy's mood swing nearly giving him whiplash. "I--I mean--At, at least for a while, we're safe, right? I-I can--Can work on helping you!"

           Springtrap let out a small chuckle, surprised. "You've already helped me a _lot,_ Night Guard... what more could you possibly do? Honestly, I'm alright- well, as 'alright' as I could possibly be in this situation. The pain is... a lot better than it was, so I can move around easier."

           "W-What more could I...?" Kenneth repeated the question, dumbfounded. Surely, the answer didn't even need saying. "W-Well... I'll get you o-out of the suit, of course!" 

           The half-animatronic stared at the Guard blankly, ears tilting downwards. "But... you can't. I'm bonded to it for eternity; that's my curse."

           "Th-that's, well, I mean--Yes--But, but curses can be broken, right?"

           "I suppose, but they're not usually as..." Springtrap paused, trying to find the words. "As... intensely entwined with physical objects as mine is."

           "I-I...Well..." Kenneth paused for a moment as well, and then muttered to himself: "I'm su-sure there's some way, I-I mean, maybe I'll ha-have some more of th-those weird game dreams or... Something else..."

           The rabbit tilted his head curiously. "'Game dreams?'"

           "...Y-yeah. Well, s-sometimes they were weird ha-hallucinations..."

           Springtrap walked over to the far wall and leaned against it, already tired of standing in one place. Another unpleasant aspect of the animatronic suit was that it had the tendency to want to _move._ If Springtrap were to stand in one place for an extended amount of time, he would soon feel an overwhelming urge to walk around; he figured that this must be part of the programming that gave the suit its full "crowd-pleasing potential," although to him it served as nothing more than an annoying inconvenience. Once he was resting against the wall, he gazed at the Guard and said, "Describe them to me."

           Kenneth frowned, looking away, thinking hard. "I--Well, um, sometimes, y'know if I pass out from being so tired? Well--I-I have th-these dreams, and they're little atari-ish-like games, and, and sometimes I platform around or sometimes I collect balloons... I... I think they're important, but... I'unno."  

           "'Atari-ish...'" The former Guard repeated the word; it sounded strange, yet familiar. "You mean, like those video games they had back when I was... well, that they had a while ago?"

           "Yeah. Eighties, I think."

           "Sounds about right..." A vague memory of a large console full of bright, blinking lights and annoying beeps surfaced. Springtrap's ears folded downwards again. "And you...collect balloons? Are you... a character, or yourself, or... what?"

           "Um, ch-characters. I'm... N-never myself. Somet-times I'm the balloon kid, or, or a bird, or some... Purple... Glitch... Rabbit?"

           Expecting a response, Kenneth looked back over at the half-animatronic. The creature, however, remained deathly silent, staring at the Guard, with an unnervingly hard gaze. Then, slowly, he repeated: "Purple... rabbit?"

           "...Yeah." Kenneth gulped, not liking the darkness in the creature's eyes. "It made the game all w-weird and glitchy..." 

           This time, Springtrap actually _stayed_ silent, thinking about what the Guard said. He certainly knew how the color purple and the "rabbit" were connected- the children and his co-workers at Fazbear's Pizzeria referred to him as "Purple Guy" for a reason, after all. But... why would _Kenneth_ be seeing these images? Not to mention the video-game like style; to Springtrap, still stuck about thirty years in the past, these types of games were just starting to become extremely popular. So why would a boy not old enough to play them at the time, if he had even been _born_ yet, be seeing these strange images in a hallucinatory dream?

           "I messed around with the cameras and I maybe accidentally tapped something, and it just... happened," Kenneth continued, disliking the silence. His eyes moved towards Springtrap, sighing. "...I think they're import-tant, but I don't know why..."

           The rotting rabbit met the Guard's gaze.

           "What... what does the rabbit do?" he asked softly, not entirely sure he wanted to know the answer.

           "The purple one, um, it can fly, but it's behind a yellow rabbit and a yellow bear, and, um..." Kenneth tapped his chin, thinking. "There's some kids? A-actually it doesn't do a whole lot..."

           "Hmm. That just sounds like a weird dream to me." In the back of his mind, Springtrap knew that, whatever these visions were, they _were_ definitely important. However, he had absolutely no idea what it all meant, nor, frankly, did he have the energy to try and figure it all out.

           "Y-yeah, it... It does... Doesn't it?" A long, low sigh. "I'unno, but, but if it means something... Maybe it could break your curse?"

           Springtrap shook his head. "I doubt it... I have a feeling that the only one who could possibly know how to break it isn't on the best terms with me at the moment..."

           Kenneth blanched. "...The Puppet?"

           "Yes."

           The Guard frowned, looking down. "Well, um, there has to be some w-way to reason with it..."

           Springtrap vehemently shook his head. "No, no way. Don't even _think_ about it, Night Guard." He sighed, frustrated. "It _can't_ be reasoned with. Besides, it's out of commission for now; I'd rather enjoy the relative free time I have while it lasts."

           Kenneth sunk down a little. "But... But... There... S'gotta have _something_ to it..." 

           "Just... let it be. I can finally move around without that Puppet breathing down my back, and the pain is better than it was. I'll be alright."

           "...Mmm," Kenneth hummed, knowing that Springtrap was just trying to make him drop the subject. Well, they could always come back to it later. The boy gave a bright smile. "Th-the pain's better, really?"

           "It's definitely milder than before. See, I can do _this_ now- _AH!_ D-damn it, never... never mind..." Springtrap attempted to wave his arm up and down, thinking that it wouldn't hurt as much as before; however, the angle at which he moved it allowed a piece of fabric still stuck on his human body to catch on the elbow joint, causing it to lock. 

            The Guard jumped up almost instinctively, reaching a hand out. "D-do you n-need me to help?!"

           "S-Something's caught on the j-joint but... I... I'm okay...," the half-animatronic said, attempting to remove the caught piece of fabric. However, the clunky hands of the robotic suit weren't made for gripping small things, and he struggled with a great amount of effort. Slowly, the Guard crept out from behind the desk, awkwardly smiling.

           "...N-need help?"

           After another thirty fruitless seconds of trying to fix the issue, Springtrap resigned himself to the request and nodded, holding out the afflicted arm towards the Guard. This prompted larger, even more awkward smile as Kenneth tentatively shifted the robot's arm, then reached into one of the rotted-out holes and began pinching around. The half-animatronic winced, both in discomfort and in fear of how the Guard would react if he came into contact with something that was distinctly _not_ a metal endoskeleton.

           A little shift here, a little poke there, a pull--Kenneth got a hold on the hidden shirt, then pulled down a little bit. _Keep it slow, don't hurt him_ \--He yelped, pulling his hand back as his fingers brushed a rotting bit of skin.  

           "Ah, yeah, that... my... my body is still in this thing, remember?" As if to jog the boy's memory, Springtrap used his free hand to gesture pulling off the rabbit head, which, as the boy instantly recalled, would reveal the rotting skull underneath.

           Kenneth gave another little yelp and rubbed his hand on his shirt, as though to clean it. He swallowed, reaching in again. "Um, right, okay, but, but try not to--to touch me--"

           "... _You're_ the one poking around inside _my_ suit."

           "Well--Yeah, but--Oh! You know what I mean!"

           "Right, right..." Springtrap then went silent, careful not to distract the Guard anymore. Not only would Kenneth probably scream louder if he touched rotting flesh again, but with his hands in such a vulnerable place it would be very easy for them to slip and knock into a lose spring-lock or something... and the half-animatronic knew that any direct pressure like _that_ would certainly hurt like hell.

           Meekly, the boy pinched the shirt again. Another pull, and he began to gnaw at the inside of his cheek, fidgeting around with the cloth. "Is--Is this a-any better...?

           Cautiously, the rotting rabbit bent his arm, careful not to catch the Guard's hand in the joint in the process. Miraculously, the pain _was_ gone. "Y-yes, actually... Um... Thank you."

           "You're--You're welcome!" Kenneth exclaimed, pulling his hand back, bursting into a giant grin.

           Experimentally, Springtrap flexed his arm a few more times, muttering, "It's just the damn fabric, always getting caught..."

           "...R-right, you still ha-have clothes o-on...In...There..."

           "I do indeed. Unfortunately, there wasn't enough time for me to pick a suitable outfit for me to be impaled in." The former murderer said this bitterly, glaring at the ground, before snapping his gaze back up to the Guard's increasingly pale face. "...Sorry."

           Kenneth's hands were wringing again, the boy taking an instinctive, nervous step backwards. "Right, that's, I mean, um, right, logical, I guess."

           "Hey, I didn't think that comment would freak you out so much." As the Guard stepped backwards, Springtrap walked towards him, holding his hands up in a gesture of peace. "I'll try not to talk about it anymore, alright? Just... stop shaking so much!"

           The boy still trembled incredibly hard, but he put on a giant smile, feet awkwardly shuffling. "Yes, please, let's, it's best we don't talk about this anymore! Th-thi-this is why I'm getting you out!"    

           The rotting rabbit stopped in his tracks, locking gazes with the boy.

           "Kenneth... what _exactly_ do you expect to happen once you 'get me out?'" he asked seriously. "You surely know by _now_ that my body can't be removed, and even if it could, it's certainly of no use to me."

            "...I... I kind of meant your... Soul?" the Guard responded, laughing a bit uncomfortably. Something about the rotting rabbit's measured gaze unnerved him more than he wanted to admit. But, to his relief, Springtrap averted his eyes and seemed to relent his mildly aggressive posture.

           "...Of course. Souls are... very tricky things to deal with, though."

           "You... You've dealt with th-them?" Kenneth tilted his head curiously.

           "Well, I suppose I haven't dealt directly with souls _themselves_... That seems to be the job that the Puppet has taken on." Springtrap visibly shivered once, metal clinking disturbingly. "But I've dealt with ghosts before."

           Kenneth chose to ignore this comment, trying to calm his breathing. "W-well--It, it can't be too hard, right? Getting you out?"

           "How do you think I got stuck with this thing in the first place?" The rotting rabbit gestured to the suit. "Souls get attached to something significant, usually having to do with what happened right before the person died... and it's not very easy to break that attachment."

           "But--But it has t-to be breakable, it has to, w-with my dreams and... Mag-gic Puppets and, and all that..." 

           "Oh, I'm sure it's breakable. It'll probably just never happen, especially with that Marionette hell-bent on making me suffer for all eternity..."

           Kenneth gave a small smile. "...Th-that's why I'm gonna talk to it, remember?"

           "No, you're _not_ going to 'talk to it,' you idiot!" Suddenly, Springtrap's voice rose and he took an aggressive step towards the boy. "Look what it did to _me,_ Night Guard- forced me into a suit that impaled me alive and put me to sleep for thirty years, only to wake me up, make me realize that my soul is _still_ attached to this thing, and then torture me incessantly. And it's _already_ come after you-multiple times, I might add. You may think you did a number on it by breaking that tablet in the process, but let me tell you this: after you left, it was _right behind us._ If you had stayed behind even a few more seconds, it would've been on you; even with a limp, it could have done some serious damage, especially since it was royally pissed off at _both_ of us." Finally, he met the Guard's eyes yet again. "...It was yelling after _you_ , by the way; not me. It wanted to _kill_ you, Kenneth."

           The boy paled noticeably, swallowing, backing up a few more frantic paces at the robot's words _. Kill--_ Him!? No--But-- _Please, no, please, that couldn't be_ \-- "Um--Well, I mean, I'll--I'll be fine!" He tried to smile, but it was horribly forced and pained.

           "This isn't a _game,_ Kenneth. You can't just restart if you make a mistake; you only have one life, and once you lose it, it's gone for good." Springtrap let out a dark chuckle. "Don't even _try_ to hide it- you're terrified out of your mind. And so you should be. This thing means business, and once it regains its strength, I'm sure it'll stop at _nothing_ to get rid of you. After all, I-"

           Abruptly, he stopped. To his unfortunate realization, he was about to say something almost.. _. kind_. The unspoken words left a strange feeling in the back of his mind and, if his stomach still worked, he would have probably felt rather queasy.

           Kenneth didn't speak for a while, his brain a bit too rattled to properly function. But, slowly, he picked up on the half-animatronic's last sentence. "A-after all, you... _what_?"

           Springtrap let out a small sigh, annoyed. "The Marionette is going after you so aggressively because it knows that I... I would rather _not_ have you dead. Your murder would be just another death that I've caused; even though this one wouldn't physically be on my hands, it would be my fault by proxy."

           One of the Guard's eyebrows raised incredulously. Was... was the half-robot _really_ saying what Kenneth thought he was? Softly, he asked:

           "...You... _c-care_ about... me?" 

           Instinctively, Springtrap winced at the words, ears turning downwards as he quickly snapped, "Did I _say_ that?"

           "...No, but... You implied it." 

           The former murderer remained silent, not wanting to admit that the idiotic Guard may have, in fact, guessed correctly. All of the strange new thoughts swirling throughout Springtrap's mind finally coalesced into a finite point: he might, possibly, actually _care_ for another person, if only in the most basic sense. This was quite a realization; in the near-thirty years of his human life, Vincent had never so much as spared a potential "friend" a second glance. Push people away first before _they_ can do the same thing to you later- that was his motto, tried and true, and he planned to stick with it to the end of his days. Of course, that end came much sooner than expected, and with his death came time for his broken mind to settle.

           Those years spent "sleeping" while his brain rotted away had given the man's soul a chance to subconsciously reflect on itself. Deep down, he knew that he would one day be revived again. When that day happened, he had a choice: continue on as he always had, or, maybe... maybe he could try something new, for once. Something along the lines of _not_ absolutely hating every person he came across. There it was- the answer to the disturbingly unfamiliar _emotions_ that he had been experiencing over the past five days:

           He had gotten a second chance at life, albeit a very strange and painful one, but a second chance nonetheless. Subconsciously, his soul wanted to at least _try_ doing something different with whatever time he had, and that included going against the urge to "despise on sight." This time, maybe he could try the opposite approach.  

           Gently, Kenneth cocked his head. "...W-Well?" 

           The half-animatronic's far-off gaze instantly snapped back to the present. "...Well _what_?"

           "W-well, I, I mean...You're, um... Being a-all quiet?"

           "I... don't have anything to say that would interest you." A slight stretch of the truth, but this was quite a revelation to process. After all, it had taken almost a week for his subconscious mind to translate this try-not-to-hate-absolutely-everyone decision to his conscious mind; it served to reason that the former murderer wouldn't be able to admit it aloud right away.

           "...You s-sure?" Kenneth asked kindly. Obviously, Springtrap was in the midst of a very intense mental turmoil. "I mean, I said you c-cared about me, and--You went a-all silent?"

           "I never admitted that." The rabbit narrowed his eyes. "Don't put words in my mouth."

           "...But...You, you _do_ , right?" 

           A heavy sigh; the boy was _never_ going to let this go. "Well... I don't absolutely loathe you, I'll put it that way." 

           A little smile crossed the Guard's face. "S-see, that didn't ki-kill you!"

           "...Look, I've never been the best at making friends, alright?" Springtrap admitted, as if it weren't obvious enough. "It... never works out. And, like I said earlier, the entire reason that the Puppet is going after you is because it thinks that I _don't_ want you dead." The Guard's eyes began to widen, so he quickly added: "Which I _don't,_ calm down. But... I'm afraid to give the Puppet anymore inclination to come after you because we're suddenly, as it described to me, all 'buddy-buddy.' Do you understand what I'm trying to say?"

           Kenneth paused, looking away, beginning to wring his hands again. But he stopped. "...Y-Yes. But, we _will_ g-get you out. And I'll quit. Easy."

           Springtrap let out an unenthusiastic chuckle. "Nothing about this is 'easy,' Kenneth..."

           The Guard's laugh was a little bit more enthusiastic than the rabbit's. "Well--Okay. I know. But... Still, g-gotta try, right?"

           Springtrap simply stared, once again resigning himself to the fact that Kenneth had the sort of happy personality that was very rarely crushed; essentially, the complete opposite of himself. Of course _this_ would be the type of person he was supposed to spare from an unfortunate death at the hands of a psychotic spirit. Still... in a rare moment free of pain and fear, the Guard's inexcusable cheer _could_ be the tiniest bit uplifting.

           The former murderer sighed, defeated once again. He gave Kenneth a slight nod.

           "...Whatever you say, Night Guard."  


	9. Chapter 8: Looking Towards the Future

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Springtrap's eyes flashed darkly. 'Even if you somehow get my soul out of this rabbit costume, I don't know if I could actually be free... I'm attached to this whole place, it seems, not just a rotting hunk of metal and bone.'
> 
> For a moment, Kenneth looked scared, apprehensive. He rubbed the back of his neck, staring around, trying to think this over. 'Well...,' he mumbled, then looked back to Springtrap. 'M-maybe, um... After I free you... And the others, too... I-I could try and get rid of the building?'"

** Chapter 8: Looking Towards the Future **

 Kenneth slowly went back to his swivel chair, plopping down and leaning his arms on the desk. He grinned. "C-C'mon, get excited! I, I mean, the Puppet's gone, and... And we can figure th-this all out!"

"Exactly _how_ do you propose to do that?" Springtrap asked as he went to stand in front of the desk, flexing his hands, keeping the joints moving as smoothly as possible.

 "...We-well... Um... I'm not sure, but... There hasta' be a way?"

"I suppose..." The rabbit thought for a moment, and then his ears perked up in remembrance. "Wait- didn't you say that you found those hallucinations on your own, not counting the times you unintentionally passed out? By pushing a button, or something?"

"...Y-yeah?"

"Well... why don't you bring one of them up? I mean, if they're _your_ hallucinations, I probably won't be able to see them, but... maybe you could pay close attention this time and see if they tell you anything?" Springtrap glanced at the open doorway, thankfully still feeling a relieving sense of ease; the Marionette was definitely down for the count tonight. "...I'll make sure that nothing tries to kill you if you pass out."

"Oh!" Kenneth's eyes lit up, and he nodded. "Um--The tab-blet's still brok-ken, but, but maybe if I fiddle a-around with the real things..."  

The former Guard tilted his head curiously. "The real things?"

"Right, um--La-last time it was th-the balloon one, and I think...Here!" Kenneth hopped up from his chair, smiling. "C-can you follow me?"

"...Of course."

Kenneth smiled, walking out of the office and beckoning for the rotting rabbit to follow. He traveled down the hall, turning some corners, looking around slowly. Eventually, the pair came up to an arcade machine. Springtrap frowned at the old technology, dimly recalling a time decades ago when it had been newly-installed; the children were absolutely _fascinated_ by it, fighting over who had gotten in line first and who got an extra turn because it was _their_ birthday party, not anyone else's. He had had to break up more than a few little skirmishes over these blinking, beeping machines.    

Kenneth checked out the console, staring at the buttons for a moment. How did he do this before? He pressed the button on the top left, then the one on the bottom left, top right, bottom right. And then he sort of... glazed over. When the Guard suddenly went still, and a vague sense of unease prickled in the back of Springtrap's mind. He waved a hand in front of the boy's face, calling out:

"Night Guard? Hey, Kenneth!"

...But there was no response. Then, the Guard's hands-still touching the machine- began to move, pressing the various buttons as if he were actually playing the game. Springtrap looked at the screen, expecting it to be lit up and beeping wildly...but it was completely blank. He realized, the uneasy feeling growing, that the machine wasn't even plugged in.

For his part, Kenneth seemed... invested, somehow, like something was really happening.  Something only _his_ weird hallucinatory mind could see. A little finicking--A little confused look, and then a small smile. Apparently, something good had occurred. Probably.  

The half-animatronic watched the boy's facial expressions with rapt interest. What could he _possibly_ be seeing in that overly-friendly brain of his? Apparently something good, for his lips soon turned up in a small smile; Springtrap tilted his head at this but did not speak, thinking that it would be best to let Kenneth find his way out of the hallucination on his own time. Another twitch, another little button press, and--

With a shuddering gasp, like he just came up from drowning, the Guard's head snapped up and he looked around, as though to grasp where he was.

"Whoa, whoa, it's alright!" Springtrap exclaimed, mildly startled at Kenneth's "reappearance." He placed one hand in front of the Guard and let the other rest loosely behind his back, creating a buffer should he fall in either direction.

Kenneth yelped with a sudden jump, running into Springtrap's hand behind him. But then he paused, giving a small laugh. "Um--S-sorry."

"It's fine, I put my hand there for a reason; you looked like you were about to pass out for a second..." A rabbit ear bent questioningly. "You alright?"

"Oh, y-you know, um..." The freckled boy smiled again. "T-takes a while to regroup, but I found it, I found the c-cake!"

"...The... the 'cake?'"    

"Yeah! There were balloons and--And I found th-the cake, which...I'm pretty sure is important!"

 "...Alright, that explains almost nothing. Thank you for the intricate detail." Springtrap didn't mean to sound so harsh, but he was frustrated that he didn't get to see what Kenneth saw; he had a feeling that he would able to help piece things together if he knew more information.

Kenneth frowned, sighing. "I-I was the weird--Pink--Fox spider thing, and, I think I glitched through the game, and..." Here, he began making intricate hand gestures. "I-I fell--And th-the puppet thing was there! I just passed it, I couldn't do anything w-with it..."

"Okay..." The rotting rabbit leaned against the wall, thinking. "...and what else?"

"So, um, balloons! There were a buncha' red balloons, and, and on the last one, there it was! Cake!" 

"And the cake was for... who?"

 "I-I, um, I don't...Know...Yet."

"...Right. Well, at least you know that there has to be... cake." Suddenly, the half-animatronic slammed his hand against the wall behind him, letting out a frustrated growl. "This means _nothing_... it's just a stupid hallucination! Don't even _bother_ trying to figure it out. A silly birthday cake isn't going to help _anyone."_

Kenneth jumped again from the impact of the hand against the wall, squeaking almost comically. He fumbled with his hands, paling a little, looking away. "...Th-the Puppet was kneeling down and crying."

Springtrap's eyes instantly snapped back to the Guard's. "It was...crying?"

Kenneth nodded meekly. "Yeah. Cr-crying."

"Was it....with anyone else? Or...by itself?"

"By--By itself. It, it was really tall, and really dark, too, like a silhouette or a statue, and, and these two lines of tears were coming f-from its eyes..."  

"...Hmm. Well, maybe... no, never mind. I don't know how to explain it." The rotting rabbit glanced at the Guard again. "But I know for a fact that everything _is_ connected to that Puppet. It's the one that-" He broke off, looking around the room. The Marionette was nowhere to be found, nor did he feel its presence anywhere. But, those dark corners still unnerved him.

Kenneth almost instinctively looked up, eyes following Springtrap's gaze. He certainly didn't see anything either. "...Th-that...What?"

"It's the one that attached all of our souls to the animatronics," the former murderer said pointedly. "That's why it's so... _intent_ on keeping me here."  

The false Guard rubbed the back of his neck, face falling into a mildly distressed frown. He exhaled loudly. "...So, what _is_ it, can I ask? S'it a magic robot, some kinda' demon?"

Springtrap looked away, staring hard at the ground; he clenched his fist tightly and then released it, as if preparing to say something very difficult. The truth _was,_ in fact, not something he ever thought he would be revealing to a living soul. In a soft voice, he admitted: "...It's a child."

Kenneth looked... flabbergasted. He blinked, working his mouth uselessly for a moment before shaking his head, eyes wide. "It's a--?" The rotting rabbit simply nodded, giving the Guard time to process this horrifying revelation. Said boy turned away, taking a moment to gesture frantically, then rubbed his face. _Regroup, Kenneth. Regroup_. He turned back. "How?!"

"It was... _He_ was..." The former murderer paused, gathering his thoughts; never in a million years had he ever imagined that he would be confessing his crimes, much less in his current situation. After closing his eyes for a moment, he opened them again, looking anywhere but at the Guard. "He was the first.... the first one I... killed. He was the beginning of everything. I... I'm not sure _how_ he managed to attach his soul to an inanimate object, because he refuses to tell me, but... that Marionette was one of the very first animatronics ever built. However, the kids thought it was really creepy and so they never used it; it was locked in storage almost as soon as it was unveiled. Somehow... somehow the child got to it and... possessed it."

This was certainly a lot to take in. Kenneth swallowed hard, paling once more. It all sounded insane, completely insane, and maybe if he pretended hard enough this really would be another hallucination...

But... It wasn't. He knew that. So he swallowed. "G-geez, that's...How is that thing a kid, it's...It's _crazy_!" 

"Well, it's been trapped in that body for a long, _long_ time...waiting in the shadows, hoping for peace that never came. Of course, when he first possessed the Marionette, I had no idea that he'd done so. It wasn't until the other kids that I... I realized what was happening... And then, they started to..."

Springtrap trailed off, recalling the stories of "haunted animatronics" and Night Guards scared out of their minds. Spending so much time with a possessed creature that never slept in over thirty years had allowed to Puppet to fill him in on the events throughout the Fazbear franchise's history- at least, when the demented creature felt particularly generous with information. The former Guard learned as much as he could about what happened from the night of his death to the soon-to-be opening of Fazbear's Fright.

Soon after his demise and subsequent placement into deep sleep for decades, the scared children's souls had so lovingly been placed into the bodies of some of the other animatronics. The Puppet simply wanted to give the lost souls a set place to "live" in the afterlife, as opposed to them wandering aimlessly around the building for God knew how long. Unfortunately, the children were too young and traumatized to fully process what was happening. Therefore, they saw the act of being placed inside the suit as being "trapped." To its dismay, the Marionette couldn't remove the souls once they had been secured inside the other suits. The children, not aware that they were actually being _helped,_ got it in their minds that each and every Night Guard that entered the Pizzeria wanted to do them, and countless other children that might happen to stay at Freddy Fazbear's a little too long after hours, harm. To stop this from happening again, the dead children took it upon themselves to aggressively hunt down any other Guard cursed with the night shift.

Of course, no good end could come out of that sort of situation. Every Night Guard left his or her shift scared out of their minds, and when one of them ended up _dead_ , the original owners of the franchise knew that something was horribly wrong. The Puppet then went on to explain the locations that closed, as well as the new franchise branches, but at this point Springtrap had lost interest. All he could focus on was the fact that those poor children never even knew that the Marionette had been trying to help them all along. This thought gave him a dark, tingly feeling in the back of his mind that lasted far longer than he thought it should.

Kenneth coughed lightly, bringing Springtrap out of his memory.

"T-They started t-to... Ki-kill th-the Guards?" he offered with a morbidly awkward smile, trying to get the rabbit back on track with their conversation. "Th-the boys, they said... They said all the mythos stuff, but..."

"...Yes. They think that the Guards are... _were_... well..." The former murderer met Kenneth's gaze, attempting a shrug. "Me."

The boy swallowed hard. "...A-all be-because it...It wanted you dead?"

"Yes, well, they _all_ wanted me dead. But... the Puppet was the one who put them into the suits in the first place; said something about giving the kids the 'second life' they deserved... unfortunately, it unintentionally trapped them. I don't think it _meant_ to, but... now we're _all_ stuck. And the kids obviously couldn't differentiate between people, because they went after each and every of the night shift employees, or so I've been told."  

"...Stuffed them into suits...," Kenneth muttered. This place seemed weirder and weirder as the days went on. He missed his first night on the job, when he could attribute all of this to hallucinations. "...But--But th-the rest of t-the robot's 'r broken."

The rotting rabbit stared blankly at the opposite wall, as if looking off into the distance. "Well... the physical _machines_ might be broken, but that doesn't mean that their _souls_ are free..."  

Kenneth frowned."...Um, you're, I don't--What?"

"The robots...you said they were broken. But-" Springtrap gestured to himself. "-obviously, whether the suit is in good condition has no bearing on whether the children's souls are still attached to them. I know they're not necessarily _active_ but... they're still not free. Maybe... that has something to do with your hallucinations?"

"You--You think--Th-the kids, they're--Here? And, and they're ma-making me hal-hallucinate?"  

"That's one theory... As much as they're attached to the suits, the kids are attached to Fazbear's Pizzeria itself with a much stronger pull." The rabbit glanced at the Guard. "Did I tell you what happened when I tried to follow you out the door last night?"

"...Um...N-no?" 

Springtrap let out a small, hard laugh. "I was right behind you, you know... I didn't care that I would probably scare the hell out of everyone on the street, let alone the fact that I'd have absolutely no place to go; I just wanted to get _out_ of this building. But...when I tried to go through the doorway, it was as if I'd hit an invisible wall that pushed me back so hard I actually fell..." His eyes flashed darkly. "Even if you somehow get my soul out of this rabbit costume, I don't know if I could actually be free... I'm attached to this whole _place_ , it seems, not just a rotting hunk of metal and bone."

For a moment, Kenneth looked scared, apprehensive. He rubbed the back of his neck, staring around, trying to think this over. "Well...," he mumbled, then looked back to Springtrap. "M-maybe, um... After I free you... And the others, too... I-I could try and get rid of the building?"

The former murderer cocked his head, mildly concerned for the Guard's sanity. "...You want to get rid of an entire _building_? What are you going to do, rent a wrecking ball and smash it down?!"

Kenneth shook his head. "W-well, no, I mean, if they--If they know it's--Based on real murders, th-that's mean-spirited! Um... They have to shut it down, right...?" 

Springtrap blinked. "Night Guard... they _know_. That's why they opened the attraction in the first place; people want to see the sight of a _real_ murder, not a building that's supposedly haunted based on pure speculation."

The boy paled, his jaw dropping ever so slightly. "No--No, th-that's horrible!"

"Not everyone is as exceptionally pure-hearted as _you_... Humans can be despicable creatures."

Kenneth looked off quickly, rubbing his arms. Slowly, he mumbled, "...Burn it down, maybe?"

"...Are you _really_ capable of doing that?"

"Well, probably?"

"...I suppose burning down a building isn't nearly as far-fetched as trying to save the soul of a murderer trapped in the rotting body of an animatronic." Springtrap grinned at this, realizing just how ridiculous this situation was when spoken aloud.

A light laugh. Kenneth gave the rabbit a slight nudge. "It's gonna happen! I pr-promise."

"Sure, sure." The half-animatronic nudged back. However, not used to his strength compared to that of a human's, he accidentally knocked the Guard off-kilter. Kenneth gasped, teetering, jumping back a little to regain balance. He swallowed nervously.

"Um--A-a little, um, softer. Next time."

The former murderer cringed, instantly regretting the playful gesture; once again, any effort he made to show any semblance of a "friendly" action had ended up badly. "...Sorry."

"No, no no no, it's fine!" The Guard smiled, giving the rabbit a reassuring pat on the arm. "I--I mean--You haven't had many f-friends!"  

  "Well, _this_ thing-" Springtrap gestured to the rabbit suit, pointedly ignoring the boy's observation. "-doesn't necessarily react the way that a normal human body does, so... it causes a lot of problems. Obviously."

Kenneth gave him another gentle pat on the arm. "No-not too much longer in th-there. I promise. Maybe if I just ge-get all the cakes..."

Springtrap tilted an ear downwards. "But... you just finished that game. Does it have other levels or... something?" 

"No, no, dope, there's--Um--There's more games!" Kenneth chuckled, as if this were the most obvious thing in the world. "The balloon game! And, and the yellow bear game. And the one with the kids and the table." The man in the suit merely blinked, clearly not comprehending the random phrases he was spouting out. "...Lo-look, there's more games, so, so, there's more cake! And if I get all th-the cake, well, th-that means good things! Right?"

"...If you think so," the rotting rabbit relented. "I suppose it's worth a try?" 

"Anything's wo-worth a try." Another little friendly smile. "You wo-won't be stuck here too much longer."

"That's what you keep telling me..."

An ever so slight frown; Kenneth could hear the disbelief the former Guard's tone. "Hey, you got me helpin', ri-right? Two against one Puppet!" 

"An insane, possessed Puppet who wants nothing more than to see me and those _around_ me suffer for all eternity...," came the muttered response. Kenneth's frown deepened.

"Okay, okay okay okay, maybe, maybe it's a slightly st-stacked deck. But... But it's just a kid, like you said, um..." 

"That _thing_ is no longer a child." 

"B-But, you just said-"

"No, I mean...," Springtrap paused, thinking of the best way to phrase the Puppet's current mindset. "Yes, deep down, I'm sure it's still a child. But... its mind has been twisted. It doesn't _think_ like a child anymore; now the only thing that it's concerned with is the hell-bent desire to take revenge against me for all I've done to it and the other children."

"Well, maybe if we can release it too...," Kenneth trailed off at the suddenly icy glare the rabbit gave him.

"I told you, it's a suicidal idea to get close to it." The former murderer's eyes seemed to flash, making Kenneth jump with a little squeak.

"I-I won't! I just, just, you know, want to try to, to make it a kid again?"

"And _how_ do you propose to do that?"  

Goosebumps shot up Kenneth's arms. Springtrap's tone still remained cold, but the Guard quickly rubbed his arms, looking away. "...Sa-same way we're go-gonna free you, I s'pose..."

Springtrap blinked and tilted his head curiously, tone returning to normal. "You... want to make me into a child again?"  

Kenneth threw his head back, loudly groaning. " _No!_ No no no! We're getting you out, as, well, an adult, like how you died! Bu-but it, it was a kid, so it's gonna be a kid then."

"Right, right! Sorry..." Springtrap let out a short laugh and tapped his head. "Slow processors. Eighties technology, you know?"

"Oh!" Kenneth couldn't tell if the rabbit was joking or not, but he laughed regardless. "M-man, you'd th-think they'd update y-you."

"I think they're afraid of what they'll find." Springtrap shrugged. "The Puppet told me that they _did_ try to give this suit some maintenance once, soon after I was trapped, but... I think the recently-dried blood scared them off and they decided to leave me in the storage room to decay for thirty years instead. Although, I'm sure that damn _thing_ certainly had something to do with the technicians not reporting a dead body stuffed inside a bunny suit to the police, too."

Kenneth unsuccessfully tried to suppress a shiver. Slowly, as if talking more to himself than anyone else, he muttered, "P-PD, he... He th-thinks it's all fake... Maybe I could ask him to do it? I could come with him during the day and show him..."

Springtrap paused for a few seconds before answering. "I doubt the Puppet would take to kindly to anyone actually trying to _fix_ this thing. It's been very generous in letting the guys move me around once in a while, but I doubt it would like to someone trying to make my situation any better. The Puppet.... it has no 'daytime mode,' you know. Or at least, if it did... it's certainly not working anymore." 

"...Wh-what, really?" Kenneth blanched, hands instinctively wringing together. He assumed that it was awake for maybe a _little_ bit of time during the day, but certainly not the _whole_ time...

"Yes. I'm not one hundred percent sure _why_ , but that thing's soul is _always_ awake, no matter what time of the day it is. Unlike me, it doesn't switch to full-on 'animatronic mode' when six a.m. rolls around, so... if you came back during the day, I wouldn't be much help if the Marionette decided to come after you."

"...But, but, it's gone, it can't..." The Guard's tone was soft, the growing fear evident.

"Remember what I told you earlier? It's out of commission for _now_. I broke it pretty well." Springtrap couldn't help but grin with a mildly sick satisfaction at the memory of the Puppet's broken body dissolving away into the shadows. "But I _know_ that I didn't destroy it for good. I have a feeling that it can repair itself, given time, and when it does... well, I'd suggest that you quit your job that very second and don't come back unless you have a death wish."

Kenneth gulped. Nothing was ever easy in this place... Then, he flipped his terrified expression into a nervous smile. "Well! Th-then we're, we're gonna haf'ta make thi-this quick right?"

Springtrap tilted an ear at the falsely-confident tone. "...Right."

 "...But, but if it _does_ come back..." Kenneth bit his lip, looking down the hallway before settling his wide eyes back on the half-animatronic. "You'll st-still protect me, right? A-At least until I c-can save it?"

The former murderer met the Guard's pleading gaze, sighing. "If I'm in daytime mode, I don't know how much help I'll be... My soul will be conscious, but the suit has full control."

"...C-can I tamper with the suit s-so that you _will_ be i-in control?"

Springtrap blinked. "What...what exactly do you mean?"

"Um, I could finick around and--And, um, maybe see if I can... Disable... Daytime mode?"

A light of understanding seemed to brighten up the rotting rabbit's whole demeanor.

"Oh, that would be... that would be a _huge_ relief, actually!" His excitement quickly waned when he realized the gravity of what Kenneth was suggesting. Taping up a few loose wires in his ear was one thing, but disabling an entire function of the animatronic was a whole new level of technician work. He winced slightly at the thought of all the wires and spring-locks that Kenneth could hit while rooting around in the suit: potential hazards for both the Guard and the soul inside. "Just... be careful. It... it still hurts, you know."

Kenneth's face lit up as he nodded enthusiastically. "Y-yeah! I'll, uh--One sec!" Quickly, he darted off down the hall, towards the office.

Springtrap adjusted his position, standing up straighter, watching the Guard go and wondering why in the world he seemed so happy at the prospect of reaching inside a deadly robotic suit. A few long moments passed, then Kenneth came back with a boxcutter and his electrical tape. He grinned.

"O-okay, I'll cut a few wires, and, and, um, you t-tell me... If anything happens!" 

The half-animatronic took a step back, staring hard at the sharp object in the Guard's hand and starting to re-think the rash decision to let Kenneth mess around with his systems. "Oh, yes, that sounds like a _great_ plan! Tell me: where _did_ you get your degree in electrical engineering?"

"...B-but, okay, m-my degree was in calligraphy, bu-but...Um. Just. I'll be careful?"

Springtrap merely stared, rabbit mouth slightly agape. Again, he wondered who the hell thought _Kenneth_ , of all people, would be the perfect Night Guard for a _horror_ attraction. After a few seconds, he realized that he would probably never truly know the answer.

"Fine," he relented. "Uh, I suppose I should..." A bit awkwardly, he sat down so that Kenneth could have a better angle for getting into the hard-wiring of the animatronic. "Is this okay?"

Kenneth nodded, smiling slightly. He approached gently, not wanting to spook the half-animatronic who was obviously much more nervous than he let on. Getting on his haunches, the Guard slowly worked a hand into one of the rotted-out holes in the rabbit's shoulder. "T-tell me if I touch an-anything sensitive..."

"Right." Springtrap automatically tensed at the feeling of an unfamiliar presence messing around with his suit, but he tried not to make any sudden movements that would freak out the Guard.

Meanwhile, Kenneth stuck out his tongue slightly, feeling around, fingers brushing a wire. He smiled, tapping it. "...Uh, y'know what this does?" Springtrap's left hand twitched violently, nearly smacking the Guard in the stomach before the rotting rabbit got it under control.

"...I'd say that one leads to my hand."

Kenneth jumped with a squeak. The hand didn't actually smack him, but it came close enough to make him flinch. He sighed, letting that wire go, feeling for the next. "H-how many of th-th-these things _are_ there?!"

Springtrap let out an unenthusiastic laugh. "A lot. It _is_ made for an entire animatronic, after all... and since it doubled as a suit, they had to make room so that the extra wires weren't touching the person inside. That's why they're all so close together."

"Makes s-sense... Okay, I'm gonna grab a few at once, just give, give me some idea wh-what th-they do, okay?" Kenneth requested calmly. His hand shifted, the Guard gnawing on the inside of his cheek as he felt for a few more wires, running his finger down them.

Each various body part twitched as its corresponding wire was lightly pulled. Springtrap named them aloud as well, in case the Guard couldn't see them move. "Uh, Left ear... Right pinky finger... _Ow!_ R-Right foot..."

"Ack, sorry!" Kenneth moved a little faster, biting the inside of his cheek a bit harder. "One, one of these _hasta'_ lead to it, right? Okay, how about this one--This one--Or--?"

Suddenly, Springtrap froze. Kenneth had definitely found _something._

The Guard stopped dead as well, fingers staying lightly on that one wire. "Springtrap? Sir? Mister?"

To Kenneth's mild horror, the rotting rabbit's eyes closed and his head fell forward. However, immediately following this, there was the sound of something electronic starting up. After a few seconds the rabbit lifted his head and said, in a distinctly robotic voice: _"W-W-Welcome to Freddy Faz-Faz-Fazbear's Pizza!"_

"Hah! Th-this must be- okay, stay right there!" Kenneth grinned. He took the boxcutter in his other hand, gently reaching it into the hole as well, finding his fingers--Nicking a fingertip in the process, _oops_ \--Fidgeting around. Unexpectedly, the bunny seemed to be trying to get to its feet. "St-stay still!" 

The animatronic turned his head towards the Guard, a vacant grin plastered across its face. The fact that the pre-recorded phrases seemed to catch on every other word did nothing to ease Kenneth's growing urgency to finish the task at hand.

_"Hello, f-f-friend! Do y-you want t-t-to sing a s-s-song?"_

"Li-little busy at the moment!" An awkward smile back, and Kenneth continued to fumble with the boxcutter. There was a moment of resistance, and then finally the wire gave way and was successfully slit.

_It's f-f-fun to sing..."_ The robotic voice trailed off and once again, Springtrap's eyes closed and his head fell forward. However, to Kenneth's dismay, it sounded as if the entire animatronic system itself was shutting down. The Guard found it a bit odd that the different "modes" were connected to the exoskeleton's wiring as opposed to the endoskeleton that would have been placed inside, but felt that this wasn't the time to muse over this obvious design flaw. He yanked his hands out of the suit, jumping up and rushing around to Springtrap's front. He waved a hand in front of his face, looking panicked.

"No--Oh, no no no--Mister?!"

There was absolutely no response. Kenneth could feel the dark panic slowly rising up through his throat, taking the form of an impending scream. Then, groggily, as if coming out of a deep sleep, the rotting rabbit's eyes began to open. He experimentally flexed a hand, then an ear, and then looked up at the panicked Guard in front of him.

He granted Kenneth a tired sort of grin. "You look like you've just seem someone come back to life."

Kenneth let out an extremely heavy sigh, relief washing over him. "Oh, oh my god, I-I thought I--I shut you down! Thank god, you're alive!" 

"Hey, relax." With a tremendous amount of effort, for the suit had re-set itself into 'daytime' and back into 'nighttime mode' within a matter of minutes, the rabbit reached out a hand and lightly patted the Guard's shoulder. "This suit was able to reactivate after thirty years of sitting in a back room; I'm sure one little broken wire would have been easy to fix." 

Slowly, slowly, Kenneth sat down next to Springtrap and softly smiled. "Oh, you really had me worried... I-If you really shut down, you'd be st-stuck in there f-forever, right? And I promised I'd help..."

"A valid point." The rotting rabbit inclined his head. "...Thank you. Again. I... I think that might have actually done something. But, of course, we won't know for sure until six..."

"Ye-yeah, you're, you're right." Kenneth's smile broadened as his eyes rolled towards the clock. "Ac-actually, th-that's, um, coming up." Springtrap glanced up as well and noticed that six am was arriving much faster than he thought it would. In only a few minutes, they would get to see if Kenneth's haphazard wire-cutting skills were actually useful.

"We-well, um...Here's hopin'," Kenneth mumbled softly. He reached out slowly, oh so slowly, placing his hand atop Springtrap's own, rotting paw. The false Guard desperately hoped that the former murderer wouldn't freak out at the gesture of reassurance. "I-I'll... I'll work on th-those dreams. Fi-find all the cake and... Save you guys. A-All of you."

Springtrap stared blankly at the hand grasping his own; getting a pat on the back was one thing, but this was a whole new level of friendly affection that Springtrap never experienced- at least, from what he remembered. He wasn't quite sure how to respond, so, going by what remained of the renewed human instinct inside of him, he gently put his other hand on top of the Guard's, saying quietly, "...You're too good for this crappy job, Kenneth. Really... you deserve something so much better than being stuck in here with _us_." 

"...We-well, seeing you guys finally ge-get out of here, shuttin' th-this mean-spirited place down and... Seeing you all not in so much pain..." Kenneth's expression was so honest and earnest as he said this. He gave the rabbit paw a little squeeze. "...I-I thin-think that'll, um, that'll be enough, right?"

"Well... seeing as how you're going to burn the place down after all this, I don't think you'll _have_ a job to come back to, even if you wanted to." The squeeze on his hand was too much; a tad more forcefully than intended, Springtrap pulled his hands away from the Guard's, glancing at the clock. It was 5:59; he looked at Kenneth one last time before the bell rang. "You'll come back, right? During the day, I mean. To... see if it really worked?"

Kenneth slowly hopped up to his feet, dusting himself off. "O-of _course_ I will! A-and I'll talk to PD about some major repairs, too."

"...Thanks." Springtrap glanced down a neighboring hallway; despite the morning shift bell, the building was still blissfully silent of any thin, metallic scraping noises. Still, it didn't hurt to be cautious. "You should probably get out of here, just in case _someone_ decides to come out of hiding once the day-shift starts."

The Guard's eyes snapped to the hallway, his body tensing momentarily. Then, when he realized Springtrap was merely warning as a precaution, a tired smile flitted across his bright face. "See you soon!" With a small wave goodbye, he scampered off towards the door.

Springtrap watched him go, a familiar twinge spreading throughout the half-animatronic body. He could feel the suit wanting to shift into daytime mode, but... the final bell chimed and, to his great enthusiasm, he was still fully in control. Letting out a relieved sigh, he leaned back against the wall and thought of all the new places he could freely explore while he waited for the Guard's return.


	10. Chapter 9: Connections to the Past

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Kenneth stopped. He stopped dead. He gave a little shiver, swallowing hard. This was unbelievable; out of all the jobs this man could've had..."

** Chapter 9: Connections to the Past **

           Kenneth hadn't come in during the day. That was mostly because he was unable to actually contact PD, the rotten man never even picking up the phone. So he came in during his usual shift, twelve am on the dot. With a resigned sigh, he closed the front door behind him, softly calling out, "Springtrap?" and wincing at how much his voice echoed throughout the hallway. He couldn't help feeling a bit more uneasy than usual.

           _Nothing's watching you, Kenneth..._

           As if on cue, the rotting rabbit strolled out of a nearby room, the expression behind his eyes surprisingly hard. "... _Yes_?" 

           "Oh! Heh!" Kenneth grinned wide, laughing slightly. "Hi th-there! You, you're okay, right? So-sorry I didn't show up..." 

           "Oh, no, it's fine. I should have known not to rely on anyone; I suppose waiting around for eighteen hours for people who never appear is just what I deserve." Springtrap's tone was dripping with sarcasm. Though he knew that these words might sting the sensitive Guard, this was the first time in a _long_ while that he had actually relied on someone for a favor- not counting the times when Kenneth helped him without prompting, of course. Lo and behold, the result was just what Springtrap should have expected: he had been forced to wander aimlessly around the Attraction alone, mentally beating himself up for being so excited to get some repairs done on that decrepit suit of his.

           "No, no!" Kenneth swallowed, tensing up. Oh, no, he'd disappointed his new friend... _Th-that--That wasn't--_ "I, I tried to call PD, but, but he wouldn't pick up--And me, well, I-I can slit a wire, but... I-I don't think I can do repairs! You--I mean--I'm sorry, I didn't me-mean, I meant to... To come..." 

           Springtrap remained silent for a moment, and then let out a heavy sigh, shaking his head. His had no business whatsoever forcing this childishly aggressive attitude on the only person willing to give him a second chance. "No, I shouldn't be so... so harsh towards you. You _are_ doing your best to help me, after all."

           "I--I can try to ca-call again, but... I'unno wh-where he is..." The Guard's shoulders slumped and he looked away. "I-I'm sorry, I mean... I-I hope it wa-wasn't too bad?"

           "Well, now that you mention it-" The rotting rabbit's whole attitude suddenly brightened, ears perking up. "-whatever you did with the wiring last night worked! I didn't switch into 'daytime mode' at all, and I could walk around all I wanted." 

           Kenneth glanced at the former murderer, face lighting up. "Wh--Really!? Th-that's great! S-see, it's, it's already getting better!"

           "...I suppose." Springtrap met the Guard's gaze. "So, what's your plan for tonight? Were you able to figure out what those dreams meant?" 

           A sigh. Kenneth shook his head. "N-no. Well, I fi-figured I'd tr-try to get the cake in th-the other dreams, and... Maybe that'll do something?" 

           "Sounds like as good a plan as I could think of. By the way..." Springtrap glanced down the neighboring hallway but, to his great relief, felt no eyes watching them. "I haven't seen that Puppet around all day, so... I assume it's still recovering. I'll watch your back, as usual, but I think you're relatively safe for a little bit longer."

           The boy's green eyes lit up, a smile crossing his face. "G-geez, that's good. Ho--How much longer d'you think w-we have?"

           "Honestly?" The half-animatronic shook his head, rabbit ears swinging from side-to-side. "I have absolutely no idea. But there's no way I'm going to look for that thing and _ask_ him... I suggest that you work quickly, just to be safe." 

           Kenneth sighed, nodding. "We-well, um, I think I have to-to play, um, maybe th-the balloon one again...?" He glanced around, swallowing. Then he beckoned, beginning to creep through the hall. Springtrap trailed along behind the Guard, keeping a watchful eye on the shadows. Thankfully, since he had not been forced to relinquish control of the suit, his joints had loosened up enough that he could move quite a bit without feeling any discomfort. Also, he noted with a grin, he was faster; he was able to keep pace with the hurried boy, a feat which had been impossible before tonight.

           A few halls down, a couple of turns, and then Kenneth suddenly stopped. There was a poster of Balloon Boy, though if it was a child's drawing or a poster meant to _look_ like a child's drawing was a little unclear.

           "Ok-okay, um... Just, um, make sure nothing happens, okay?" Kenneth said, meeting the rabbit's gaze once more. Gently, tentatively, the boy reached out and tapped the poster once, twice... and his expression glazed over. 

           Springtrap didn't like when the Guard's eyes clouded like that, but he knew that it was only a temporary state; however, he was a bit unsure as to why a _poster_ would be the cause of this reaction, but.... in his current situation, he had no right to question a strange occurrence such as this. After giving Kenneth one last slightly concerned look, he settled for watching the eerily quiet hallways for any impending danger.

           Silence. This time, Kenneth didn't even have anything to touch. He just seemed invested in... _something_. But gently, ever so gently... something tapped the side of the wall. Springtrap jumped at the sound, instantly on red-alert. He was wary to touch the Guard and bring him out of his trance-like state, so the rabbit settled for standing directly behind him, a morbid, make-shift shield to anything that may come their way.

           _"...So."_ The voice was quiet, breathy, just nondescript enough to not give away its position. "Are you having a good time?" There was no spite or malice tingeing the words, just a sort of false ease coupled with a mild hint of apprehension. 

           Springtrap looked around frantically, trying to find the source, to no avail. "Puppet? Come out here! Don't play games with me..." 

           A slow, dark sort of chuckle. "Don't you remember? I'm _always_ playing games." But, after a bit of silence, the Marionette's voice grew far harder. "But you must take me for a fool if you think I'd step out."

           The rabbit let out a short, barking laugh. "Why? Because you know that I'll win whatever silly game you're trying to play now? Just show yourself and get it over with!"

           "I prefer the subtle approach, unlike some hasty psychopaths I happen to know." Its laugh was a little mocking. "...Are you really trusting _him_ , hmm?"

           One ear tilted downwards instinctively, but the man in the suit's tone remained defiant. "...I suppose I am. He's done nothing but try to help me so far, and I have no reason to believe that he has any other intentions." Springtrap glared into a shadowy corner of the room, unsure if this was the voice's hiding spot, hissing: " _Don't_ try to turn me against him; it's not going to work."

           "All I want to say is-" There's a little _'mmm_ ' shrugging noise, "-you're trusting a man prone to hallucinations and fainting. Not my first option. Besides, they're only dreams."

           "...And I'm only a soul that's been magically attached to an animatronic suit." Springtrap said this wryly, obviously getting frustrated. He didn't like not knowing where the maniacal Puppet was hiding. "I'm not going to discount any possibility unless it's proven _not_ to work. And, also... it's not like I had many options to choose from to put my trust in; yes, he jumps at the slightest noise and stutters with every sentence. But at least he's not as completely psychotic as the _rest_ of us around here..." 

           The Marionette hummed low. There was a long pause, like it was thinking things over. Finally, it said in a quiet, unsure voice. "...You've changed?"

           Springtrap blinked, unsure of how to respond. He didn't _think_ that he had changed in such a short amount of time, but- "...Have I?" 

           "Have you?" The Puppet chuckled. "You're telling me you don't know? That you don't want to hurt him...?"

           Immediately, without giving his response a second thought, Springtrap answered: "Of course I don't! I have no desire to lay a finger on him-"

           And then, suddenly, he stopped, realizing what he had just admitted. It was true; despite his initial assumptions of the annoying Night Guard, Springtrap had absolutely _no_ desire to cause the frail boy any harm whatsoever. Thinking back over his gradually increasing selfless actions the past few nights, he realized that his desire to keep the Guard safe from harm went so far as to throw _himself_ in harm's way to protect Kenneth.

           _After all,_ he thought, glancing behind him at the spaced-out man staring blankly at the poster, _isn't that what I'm doing right now? Protecting him?_

           This response made the Puppet laugh. "Now do you see, _Springtrap_?" It spat the name, as if it were poisonous. "You're so willing to give it all up for _one_ hallucinating man."

           The rabbit's eyes darkened, ears tilting downwards. "...What are you implying?"

           A hum. Something seems to shift against tile. "That you aren't yourself."

           "Well, I... I suppose not... at least, I'm not _completely_ the same person I was before. But it isn't as if my _whole_ demeanor has changed..."

           Something was moving, slinking through the darkness. Fingers trailed against the wall and a soft voice, closer now, asked, "How are your memories?"

           "Memories, of... what?" Springtrap looked around frantically, hearing the noise of something sliding along the tile but unable to pinpoint it.

           "Anything." The Puppet chuckled, crawling along the wall just out of sight. "I hate to tell you, but the wires are sometimes stronger than your soul."

           The rabbit narrowed his eyes, unsure of what this meant. Cautiously, he responded, "I... I have a few memories, especially of the Pizzeria and the... the children, although the details are hazy. But, before then, it's... kind of fuzzy." Now that he really focused, the former murderer realized with a sickening jolt of unpleasantness that the only thing he _truly_ remembered were vague experiences working at Freddy Fazbear's Pizza, as well as the feeling of being stuck in a never-ending cycle of meaningless existence that came with the experience. "...Why do you ask?"

           "Because I wonder if you'd ever do this if you really were yourself." The walking suddenly stopped. Finally picking up on the direction of the sound now that it had come to a halt, Springtrap moved to Kenneth's right side, giving the Guard a slightly concerned glance before facing where he presumed the Marionette to be. In an uncertain tone, he muttered:

           "Of... Of course I would." Even as the words left his mouth, he knew they were a blatant lie. The Puppet, apparently, wasn't fooled either.

           "You're telling me that you would pity a man who jumps at every sound? You'd assist a man who passes out and cries, and sincerely thinks that finding imaginary _cake_ would help any of us?" Suddenly, the Puppet leaned out of the shadows- but only partially, darkness still thickly cast over its face. "You don't sound sure."

           Springtrap instantly focused on the Marionette, eyes trained on the thin creature hanging unnaturally off of the wall, as if it were some form of distorted spider. Despite his attempt to look confidently cocky, the rotting rabbit's tone remained hesitant. "W-Well, I suppose my old self, the one that... that killed the children... well, of course _he_ wouldn't have taken pity on this sniveling thing." The former murderer gestured behind him at the Guard, still absorbed in the poster. "But, I'm not... _he's_ not...  he died when he was impaled by this suit. I'm... different now."

           That seemed to satisfy the creature on the wall. So, just as abruptly as it had arrived, it straightened back up and vanished into the darkness once more, giving Springtrap one final caveat before he left:

           "You're not even yourself. So are you going to leave as yourself, or as a stupid rabbit?"

           "What do you mean...?" the rotting rabbit trailed off, but the Marionette was already gone. Feeling the Puppet's eyes no longer upon him, Springtrap shook his head and turned back to the Guard, waving a tentative hand in front of his face. "...Kenneth? Are you _still_ spaced out?"

           _Blink, blink._ Kenneth straightened, dusting himself off. "U-um--I, I thought, ma-maybe if I st-stayed still, um, it, it wouldn't see..."

           "...Wait." Metal scraped as the half-animatronic ground his teeth together, staring hard at the freckled-boy.  "You were _awake_?! For how long?!" A pause, then quieter: "....How much did you hear?"

           Kenneth paled slightly, wringing his hands, looking away. "...Um, I, I found th-the cake... And it... It s-said you we-weren't yourself?" 

           "Yes, well... it's a little more complicated than that." Springtrap quickly attempted a half-hearted grin to the best of the rabbit suit's ability, desperately wanting to change the subject. "S-So... you found the cake?"

           "Oh, ye-yeah!" A giant smile crossed the Guard's face as he met the rabbit's gaze. "Yep, th-that makes the second one, b-but I don't... Don't kn-know how much there is."  

           "Well, I don't know if you'll ever-" Springtrap stopped mid-sentence, essentially freezing in place and looking very much like he had short-circuited. Just as Kenneth was beginning to feel genuine concern, the half-animatronic spoke again, his tone deadly serious. "Kenneth, how many different dreams have you had? Relating to this cake sort of thing, I mean."

           "Um..." The boy muttered to himself, beginning to count on his fingers. "Li-like, th-the ones specifically t-tied to ob-objects? Because s-sometimes during the day wh-when I sleep at home I have dr-dreams too..."

           Springtrap didn't respond for a moment, staring blankly at the ground, ears tilted slightly downwards. Eventually, he asked, softly, "...Are there six dreams? Six cakes to gather?"

           "...Fi-five." Kenneth stopped counting, looking back to Springtrap. "Fi-five games. N-not counting th-the one with the ki-kids in the masks... I'm n-not sure about that, if that has cake..."

           "If you _do_ include that one, it makes six..." The rabbit sighed, leaning against the wall and lightly smacking himself in the head. "Stupid, I'm so _stupid_..." He glanced at the Guard, who was looking increasingly concerned at his strange behavior. "...You were completely right, Night Guard. These... 'dreams,' or whatever the hell they are... I _know_ that they can help."

           Kenneth swallowed, hands beginning to wring. _Wh-what was he...?_ "Th-they...They c-c-can? But, but how, I mean..."

           "I'm still not sure _how_ , but... there are six games... and six murdered children." Springtrap locked gazes with the Guard, who visibly blanched at the blatant mention of his former crimes. "In total, I murdered six children. All except one were all at a birthday party at the time... eating cake. Six cakes, for six lost children."

           Kenneth's heart absolutely sank, his face paling so much you'd swear you could see light veins on his temples. He blinked, baffled. "...O-oh...Oh my god..."

           Springtrap remained silent, shaking his head in disbelief. How in the world could these dreams be connected to the dead children? And, more importantly, why was _Kenneth_ the only one who could see them? Meanwhile, the Guard's foot tapped slightly, trying to process this. He rubbed his face, mumbling,

           "O-okay, so, so th-this all--Six--It's um, it's connected t-to _you,_ um, but how...?"  

           "The only way I can think of is the fact that I was the one who... well... took their lives away." Springtrap tapped his fingers against the wall behind him, thinking. "So you would think, because I was the one who took everything away from them, that I should be the one to... to give it back, I suppose the cake is representing..." He stopped tapping his fingers and looked at Kenneth again. "But _I'm_ not seeing any visions. They're all going to _you_."

           "Well, ye-yeah!" Kenneth agreed, a bit too enthusiastically. All this talk of murder and ghosts made him extremely nervous. "But... I-I didn't ev-even... know them or anything." Almost idly, he started to pace, frowning hard. "I-I'm ju-just playing th-the Guard in this horror show. They don't hav-ve anything even, even relating to me!" 

           "I know, and that's why- _oh!"_ Suddenly, the rotting rabbit let out a loud exclamation of surprise, slamming his open palm against the wall, the bang echoing through the hallway. "That's it! How could I not realize... Kenneth... You're the _Security Guard_!"

           The exclamation and the slam made the boy jump, and it took a moment for him to regain his balance. When he felt centered enough, he responded warily, "Well--Yeah, so?!"

           "Obviously, the children are talking to _you_ , the Guard, because..." Springtrap paused, realizing that there were a few major details he'd left out when introducing himself and his past to the frightened boy in front of him. "...I never told you _exactly_ what job I had at the Pizzeria, did I?"

           "...N-no, of course not." Silence. Kenneth rubbed the back of his neck. "Wh-why?"

           "Because I was, well..." The former murderer stared at the ground, feeling a strange, mild sense of shame that this friendly-to-a-fault guy had essentially followed in his occupational footsteps. "... _I_ was the Security Guard, too."

           Kenneth stopped. He stopped dead. He gave a little shiver, swallowing hard. This was unbelievable; out of _all_ the jobs this man could've had...

           "You're... Y-You must be ki-kidding..."


	11. Chapter 10: Playing Games

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Even if Kenneth managed to 'save them,' Springtrap would still be stuck. But, in the back of his mind he had known that whatever growing hope he clung to was false, anyway. He was trapped in Fazbear's Fright forever, and rightly so."

** Chapter 10: Playing Games **

           Springtrap shook his head, not daring to look up. "I wish I _was_ joking, but, unfortunately... I'm not."

           "...Th-then... Why w-would the kids want to ass-associate with, with a Guard?" Kenneth asked, finally turning back to the rabbit, only to find him staring hard at the ground. "I mean... wouldn't th-they want to _avoid_ me?" 

           "Well... this is all speculation, but... maybe now that I'm actually awake, they can tell that my soul _is_ indeed trapped inside this rabbit suit." Springtrap blinked, trying to work this convoluted and, frankly ridiculous, situation out in his head. "And, maybe... well, since they know that I'm definitely not the one sitting in that security office, and you're the only human who's consistently around... maybe _you're_ the only one they can reach out to?"

           Once again, Kenneth rubbed his face with his hands. _Oh...Oh boy._ That was quite the burden to suddenly have thrust upon him. Less than a week ago, he had been eagerly looking forward to starting a new, promising career path, and now... now he might be responsible for not only saving _two_ trapped souls, but five others as well. Taking a deep breath, the boy managed to stutter out:

"S-so, well, wh-what... I-if, if I get the cake, what does that... mean? They w-want me to... to find it, but..."

           "I have no idea," Springtrap admitted. "But, it's not doing anything _negative_ , at least as far as we can tell, so..." Finally, he glanced up at the Guard,  half-shrugging. "I guess all you can do is see what happens when you win all the games."

           "Ye-yeah." Kenneth's tone seemed uncharacteristically somber, the weight of this task heavy on his shoulders. But, as his optimistic personality kicked into high gear to override the potentially soul-crushing thought of " _What if it doesn't work?"_ , he brightened up a bit. "But, but hey! Maybe if I get them all, um, that means you can get out of th-there, and move on!"

           Springtrap couldn't help but chuckle wryly. "I don't think that _I'm_ the one who needs any cake, but maybe this will help us do something... _permanent_ about the Puppet."

           This made Kenneth pause, swallowing as he remembered that _it_ was still around. _Oof_. "...I-I hope... It gets t-to go too."

           "I do, too." The rotting rabbit glared down the empty hallway. "For _many_ reasons..."

           "...Wh-what...Did it mean? Th-that you're not yourself?" The question was tentative, and though Kenneth's breath caught in his throat when Springtrap trained his unusually haunted eyes upon him, he continued: "...And... I-is th-that, um, is it a bad thing?"

           Springtrap blinked slowly, thinking of how best to explain so that the Guard would understand. Honestly, he wondered how the boy hadn't yet suffered from "information overload" after the events of the past few nights. Eventually, the rotting rabbit began talking.

           "Well, back when... before I was... er, before the kids..." He paused, taking another moment to collect his thoughts; he hadn't realized that this would be _so_ hard to explain. He almost felt as if he didn't _want_ to tell Kenneth what he was like before he became "Springtrap;" each second that ticked by seemed to be pushing the man in the suit further and further away from his past self.

           He wasn't quite sure whether he was happy about this or not.

           After a few more seconds of silence, he sighed and tried again: "When I was still human, I... I had a _very_ different personality from the way I'm interacting with you right now. I wasn't the type of person who had a lot of patience, especially for, no offence, scaredy-cats like _you_... It was... just how I was programmed, I suppose." A sad little laugh. "But now... well, now I'm actually _protecting_ you, of all things, while you're involved in your ridiculous hallucinations. The Puppet was saying that, because I would never even _think_ of doing such a thing as my 'old self,' I've changed in personality as well as physical appearance. Basically, it says that I'm not the same person who was impaled in this suit."

           Kenneth was silent as Springtrap spoke, exhaling slowly. His eyes darted away as the rabbit finished, unsure of how exactly to respond. "We-well... That's not b-bad. People... People ch-change... Right?" 

           "I... I suppose, but..." Springtrap shook his head. "I still feel... I don't know how to explain it, I just... I'm not trying to say that I've suddenly become a completely different person, by any means; the man who killed those kids is still inside somewhere... _lurking_. I just..." He clenched a golden paw briefly, then released it. "I hope he doesn't have the chance to get out before we get rid of this place."

           This sentence made something in the background chuckle a little, and Kenneth jumped, goose bumps running up his arms. "...I-I don't th-think that's how it works."

           Springtrap certainly heard the chuckle, but pointedly ignored it. "...I sincerely hope so."

           "And... And even... If it _does_ , i-if you, um..." Kenneth bit his lip, hands clutched so tightly his fingernails dug into his palms. _You can do this, Kenneth; he said he wouldn't hurt you and you have to believe it._ "I still wanna help you."   

           The rabbit's eyes snapped back to the Guard's. Of _course_ this idiot would say something like that. Slowly, he said: "If, for any reason, you or I start to feel like my... _old tendencies_ are coming back, you're going to _run_. You're going to run out of here and burn this place down."

           It was not a request; it was a command. This made Kenneth blink, stepping back a bit in shock. "I--I, I don't th-think that's necessary..."

           "I don't think it will be, either. But if it _is_...you have to promise me that you'll get out." Once again, the former murderer looked down the empty hallway, mumbling almost to himself, "The last thing I want is _another_ causality at this hell-hole of a franchise..."

           "...I'm gonna help you," Kenneth repeated, though his voice was a little quieter than usual. "Um, I-I don't think you're j-juss' gonna kill me..."  

           Springtrap spared a glance back at the Guard, who looked like he was desperately trying _not_ to show that he was terrified. "I don't think I'm going to do that, either. But... something could happen to this suit, and if I can't control it..." He paused, shaking his head. "But I think we've talked about that possibility enough. What's our next move?"

           It was kind of hard to move on so abruptly from such an interesting topic, but Kenneth felt in no position to argue. He shifted on his feet a little. "...F-four more games..."  

           "Do you know where they are?"

           "W-well, um, th-the glitch-chy one is at my desk, u-unless one of the-the desk toys is missing..."

           Springtrap decided that it wasn't worth the mental effort of trying to figure out exactly _how_ Kenneth accessed these delusions. Gesturing towards the office and casting one last glance over his shoulder, he said, "Lead the way."

           Kenneth strolled into the room slowly, then stared at his desk for a long time, squinting. "Oh, oh! It--It's th-there! Good!" A laugh, and he rushed over, picking up the toy- a strange, blackish-purple rabbit, always slightly invisible against the darkness no matter which way he turned it. "S-see, s-sometimes it disappears, but..."

           ...And, drowsily, the boy's eyes glazed over. Springtrap stared at the bunny, not liking the look of the creepy thing.

           _But, then again_..., he thought, _who am_ I _to judge?_ _I'm not the prettiest rabbit, either._ Sighing, he leaned against the doorframe to keep watch over the Guard, whose dull eyes were looking around as if they were following something unseen.

           Slowly, stealthily, thin black fingers pried Kenneth's fingers away from the toy. The Marionette clutched the tiny bunny, humming as the toy was turned around and observed. "...Charming little trifle."

           "What- hey!" Springtrap exclaimed, rushing over to the Puppet, hands ready to grab the toy back. However, his golden paw froze mere centimeters from the dark plushie; he was unsure if taking this away had done any damage to the dazed Guard, nor if putting it back would make the situation worse. "Give that back!"

           The Puppet's pinprick eyes brightened a little in amusement. "What, this toy? Why? I think it's precious."

           "The Guard's trying to do something that might potentially _help_ you, you idiot!" The man in the suit's voice sounded as if he were speaking through clenched teeth.

           "You mean his silly games?" The Marionette tutted, shaking it's head. "I thought you didn't believe in such imaginary things."

           "There are lots of things I didn't believe in, but now my soul is trapped inside an animatronic suit that's still holding onto my dead body thirty years later. Not to mention the fact that I'm being tormented by a disturbed child," Springtrap responded, voice dripping with attitude. "Beliefs can change when circumstances force them to do so."

           The Puppet snickered. "Sure. But you don't believe such trifle, do you? I'm curious."

           "If there's _any_ minute chance of me getting out of this thing, since _you're_ obviously not going to help me-" He paused to shoot the Marionette a fierce glare. "-I might as well hope that a ridiculous hallucinatory video game can do _something_..." 

           "Oh, I could 'help' you." Suddenly, the toy was dropped, landing on the floor. The head detached from the body. "I'd happily rewire you to make it worse. Would you prefer that?"

           Springtrap flinched at the impact of the toy and floor, quickly glancing at the Guard to make sure he was alright. To Springtrap's immense relief, nothing seemed amiss; Kenneth was still staring blankly into space. The former murderer then glared at the Puppet and said, in a tone that was calm with an underlying note of anger, "Of _course_ I wouldn't prefer that."

           "Then perhaps you'd think about not trying such a silly thing." It slowly came closer. "Because the cake is hallucinatory, as is the hope you're getting. As though those children would save _you_..."

           "...As I've said to both of you, I _know_ that I'm not the one who needs saving." The rotting rabbit gestured harshly towards the Guard. " _This_ idiot is the one insisting that I be 'saved' along with the children." He turned his glare to the Puppet again. "I'm stuck in this place for who knows how long; besides continuing my murderous rampage, there isn't much else to do around here- and I'm certainly not going to willingly spend my time with _you_. I might as well indulge Kenneth's stupid fantasy of saving everyone until he gets fed up and leaves." He leaned back against the wall, shaking his head at the current situation.

           The Marionette laughed in surprise. "So you _are_ manipulating him?"

           The former murderer sighed heavily. "I don't... I don't really know _what_ I'm doing, honestly. Call it what you like; I don't care." He could feel the frustration rising; these new words he had been spouting off to the Guard, such as "protect" and "help" had been leaving a bitter taste in his metaphysical mouth. In the back of his mind, he _knew_ that he had been leading the poor guy on; of course these silly hallucinations wouldn't do anything. But still... he couldn't help but feel a slight twinge of guilt at how willingly and insistently the well-intentioned boy wanted to help everyone.

           "Don't feel shame about it." The Puppet's voice had a hint of...What was it? Pride? Satisfaction? "I'm glad. Here I thought my precious best friend had grown dumb, soft, and mushy. Glad to see I'm wrong."

           Springtrap snapped back instantly. " _Stop_ referring to me as your 'best friend; we are _nothing_ of the sort."

           Silence. Then, "So you say."

           The former Guard sighed, tired of this roundabout way of talking. "What the hell does _that_ mean?"

           The Marionette shrugged a little. "Friends help each other."

           " _Help_ each other?! Since when have _you_ ever helped _me_?" Springtrap couldn't help but laugh at the absurdity of that statement. "Or vice-versa; I certainly don't recall doing _anything_ nice to you in the long, long time we've known each other..."

           The Puppet reached out, giving his nose a tap. "I'm making sure you don't get caught in delusions. Helpful." The rotting rabbit swatted at the Marionette, letting out a low growl at the physical contact. The thin creature took a deft step backwards, arms folded behind its back. "...Although, I _am_ curious. You say his dreams could help me?"

           "Well, it's pure speculation." The man in the suit pointedly looked away, deciding not to answer the aggravating Puppet's question. The thin creature gave a dismissive hum and picked up the desk toy, twisting its head back on.

           "...Perhaps you and I can both eat that cake." And at that, it snickered.

           Quickly, Springtrap snatched the toy back and placed it in Kenneth's unmoving, outstretched hands. Stealing a quick glance at the Guard, he noticed that that the boy's eyes seemed less glazed over than they had been a few moments prior. Turning to the Puppet, the rotting rabbit said, "Look, as much as I enjoy our riveting conversations, there's no way any of us can figure out if the Guard's dreams can help if you don't let him experience them. So..." He gestured to the door. "...Will you let him finish his delusions in peace?"

           The Marionette reached out, giving Kenneth one quick, sharp flick between the eyes. But, it obliged, still laughing under its breath. "...He likes ghosts so much? He should join them..."

           Trying his best not to growl again, Springtrap unceremoniously grabbed the still-healing Puppet by the arm and threw it out of the doorway, where it managed to catch itself before falling onto the floor. It gave a small, mechanical gasp, straightening up. Its fingers curled. Then, as it began to vanish into the shadows, it murmured, "And I should _really_ cut your power supply, too..."

           Ignoring the vague threat, the rotting rabbit turned back to the Guard and flicked him on the forehead, exactly as the Marionette had just done, though with a much heavier paw. "So... how long have _you_ been awake?"

           "...M-maybe, maybe just, um... A couple..." Kenneth blushed a little; he should have know that one of them would see through the ruse. Thankfully, it hadn't been the psychotic Puppet. "...Handful of minutes."

           "Mm-hmm." Lightly, being sure not to send the boy off-balance again, the rabbit patted the boy on the shoulder. "I'm impressed, Night Guard; I thought you were going to start shaking any second, especially when that thing touched you..."

           Kenneth stuck out his tongue, showing a spot of blood. "I-I, er, I b-bit my tongue."

           Springtrap rolled his eyes at the mild injury. "I'm not really sure how to help you with that one..."

           "Heh, you're not s'posed to." A slight laugh, and the boy retracted his tongue. "Bu-but, um, th-that's how I...I k-kept really quiet."

           "Ah, _that's_ your secret tactic." A rabbit ear tilted questioningly. "So? Did you find the cake?"

           "Oh, y-yep, yeah!" The boy's eyes brightened as he nodded enthusiastically. "Th-that makes th-three, and we...We're making gr-great progress, right?" 

           Springtrap nodded silently, unsure of exactly how much of the conversation the Guard had heard. By the look in Kenneth's eyes, it seemed that he wasn't aware of the former murderer's extreme doubts about these hallucinations. However, the half-animatronic couldn't be completely sure unless he asked... which was something that he wasn't quite sure he wanted to do.

           "Three more!" Kenneth continued, smiling. Then, he paused, blinking ever so slowly at the rabbit. "...Um, a-are you okay? You...S-seem...Dis-distant."

           Springtrap gazed at the Guard, surprised at that last statement. "...Was I ever that close to you, to begin with?" Kenneth began to wring his hands, obviously thinking the answer was obvious. The half-animatronic rolled his eyes and responded, "I'm just... thinking about things."

           "Um...Wh-what...Kind of things?" The boy's eyes widened curiously.

           "Things that don't concern you." The lie was so blatantly obvious, Springtrap knew there was no possible way Kenneth would buy it. His theory soon proved true as Kenneth asked:

           "L-Like...?"

           "Like..." How could he get the Guard to stop prying? _Ah! Of course!_ With a slightly sadistic grin, the rotting rabbit said, "Like, how when I was impaled by this suit, those metal bars went _right_ through those vital organs of mine..."  

           Kenneth yelped, almost falling back in his chair, paling instantly. "N-n-n-no you--You--You we-weren't! Th-that's not--!"

           Springtrap could help but chuckle at the extreme reaction, leaning against the wall with one hand until the brief laughing fit subsided. "I-I'm sorry, I'm sorry..."

           Kenneth's face went red, hands curling. "Oh--Oh th-that was--That was _mean_!"

           The rabbit stood up straight, cocking one ear downwards, as if his answer were the most obvious thing in the world. "You should know by now that I'm not the nicest person to talk to..."

           "That--That was still the worst! _E-eww_...Don't t-talk about th-that!"

           "Fine, I won't talk about my disgusting demise," He locked gazes with the Guard and grinned, the off-white teeth of the suit almost glowing in the eerie light of the building. "...very often."  

           Kenneth cringed and shook his head quickly. "No! N-no guts and icky st-stuff!"

           "Okay, no 'icky stuff,'" Springtrap relented, holding his hands up in peace, though the mischievous gleam in his eyes said otherwise.

           Kenneth sighed, giving a weak smile. "...S-see, we, we...Get along."

           "...Though that seems to be the case, I'm not entirely sure _why_..." 

           "...Be-because you li-like, um, having friends?"

           Kenneth's answer was given so effortlessly, so sincerely, that Springtrap thought he might have misheard. He stared at the Guard silently for a few seconds, before bursting into another fit of laughter, this one much louder and longer than the other. Eventually, he calmed down enough to say, through the residual chuckles, "I-I...I don't do the whole 'friendship' thing v-very well, Kenneth. Never quite grasped the concept."

           The boy sunk down a little, freckled cheeks becoming red again. _But..._ he'd thought, _But-_ "...A-aren't we f-friends?" 

           Springtrap heaved a sigh, getting the feeling that this was one of the few issues the trembling boy would refuse to budge on. Slowly, he answered, "If I say 'yes,' will you stop looking so damn _pitiful_?"

           A little nod, the boy purposefully making his eyes all big and pleading, though a teeny smile was evident.

           The rotting rabbit rolled his eyes, knowing full-well that Kenneth was giving him that look on purpose. Despite a small, nagging voice in the back of his mind screaming the question, _What the hell are you doing?!_ on repeat, Springtrap glanced around, wary of any unwanted ears that might be listening. Leaning in close to the Guard so as not to be overheard, he admitted, quietly,

           "I suppose, at this point, we're... sort of friends."

           Kenneth smiled wide, giving a little cheery squeak. "S-see, I knew you weren't so cold!"

           "Of _course_ I'm cold," Springtrap responded in a deadpan voice. "I'm encased in a robotic suit, remember?"

           "You--You kn-know what I meant!" A laugh left the boy, despite everything. This was so insane, so utterly insane... and part of him wished he could go back to thinking this was a hallucination. "...So, uh, three more cakes to go, right?"

           The half-animatronic nodded, glad that at least the Guard was more or less back to his usual self. "Right, three more. And I'm assuming you know where they are?"  

           "Well, I mean--Yeah! Yeah. Um, we--We can do the bear one! That's in here." Kenneth hopped up, walking up to the box of robotic parts. "...Hey, d'you know w-why they kept these? N-No good for decor and stuff..."

           "I have absolutely no idea." Springtrap gave a light shrug. "I've been sealed in the back room, remember? I couldn't really see what was going on, I just...heard things."

           "...Sometimes I, I think you just...Know things better than me." Kenneth shrugged as well, but then turned his attention to the tiles on the wall between the box and a trash can. "O-okay, I, I have to tap these in a certain way, I remember that. See, it's, it's like a phone. So..." He paused, fumbling in his pocket. He came up with a cell phone, laughing to himself. Pressing a few buttons, the screen lit up, showing a dial pad. "Good! So--It's--First it's three-" He tapped the top right tile, then tapped the others in succession while speaking the numbers, "-nine, five, two, four, and--And eight!" _Tap!_ And as the Guard let the now-familiar feeling overtake him, his phone darkened and slipped out of his hand onto the floor.

           Springtrap flinched at the noise and his eyes snapped to the window, fearing that the sound would arouse the suspicion of the Marionette. When he saw nothing in the window, he glanced behind him through the open doorway, shifting his position so that he was directly behind the Guard as he did so. Kenneth seemed thoroughly engrossed in _... whatever_ it was this time. Sometimes a hand would twitch, sometimes he'd even shake his head. And at one point, there was a breathy sigh from... _somewhere_.

           "Gracious. I thought we were about ready to give this up."

           The former murderer tensed, waiting expectantly for the Marionette to pop up out of God knows where. He gestured to the boy behind him and responded, "...Obviously not. He's quite insistent, you know."

           _Click, click, click._ The Puppet smoothly entered from the actual doorway this time, it's pinprick eyes glancing back and forth. "Charming. You should know I don't like _insistent_ people."

           "Yes, well, I'm sure he's not too fond of _you_ , either." Springtrap glared at the thin creature, already tired of dealing with it.

           "And nobody was ever fond of _you,_ so the circle is complete." The Puppet chuckled to itself, then interlocked its fingers, taking a seat in Kenneth's chair. "...Might I ask, what if this doesn't work?"

           The rotting rabbit frowned a bit at how comfortable the Marionette seemed, but decided this wasn't a fact worth dwelling on. "Then, hopefully this kid will realize what an idiot he is for thinking it would work in the first place and leave, and it will probably be just you and me for a while. Not that I'm looking forward to it, but... I'm expecting it."

           "So you _do_ think this is senseless. Good." Another laugh. Gently, it reclined back. Its hands reached out, picking up the broken tablet, casting its eyes away to the buttons that controlled audio, vents, and cameras. "I commend you for playing along. Must kill you a little inside to partake in such childish things. If you weren't dead inside, and outside for that matter, to begin with."

           "Why are you 'commending' me? As I've said before, there isn't much else to _do_ in this place." Springtrap noticed a spark of emotion and a slight, dark smile tug up the corners of the Puppet's mouth and added, "...and that is _not_ an invitation for to _you_ to do something to me, by the way."

           " _Me_ , do something to _you_?" Its finger reached out and pressed the button, the audio byte of a child's laugh playing. "...What makes you think I would do that?"

           _"Shit!"_ the rotting rabbit cursed as his body began walking of its own accord. He tried to resist as best he could, but to no avail. Yelling a few more choice obscenities at the Puppet before he went past the window and out of sight, he begrudgingly allowed his feet to carry him to the party room. Though the tablet had been broken, it seemed as though, unfortunately, the systems themselves still worked.

           The Puppet's laughter was so glaringly obvious that it echoed throughout the hallways. It wasn't even in its normal, slightly mocking tone- the creature was almost in hysterics. It gently scooped Kenneth's phone into its own hands before gleefully following Springtrap away. Eventually, the half-animatronic stopped in the center of the party room. The moment he regained control of his body, he whirled around and began to run back towards the office, hoping that the Marionette hadn't tried to do anything to the helpless Guard while he was preoccupied. However, when Springtrap rounded the corner outside the party room, he had to come to a sudden halt to avoid ramming into the very Puppet he was on his way to visit.

           Another almost giddy laugh. "Oh, goodness! Don't you get ahead of yourself, my friend." Teasingly it waved hello, then, "And where is it you might be headed?"

           "Where do you _think_ I'm going?! Move!" Springtrap snapped, roughly pushing the Puppet out of the way as he stomped off towards the office, teeth clenched and eyes narrowed in a sinister expression. The Marionette's last move had finally exhausted Springtrap's waning temper.

           A huff. It sighed, breaking Kenneth's phone in half and unceremoniously dropping the parts on the dirty, tiled floor. Carefully, it followed after the rabbit, fingers giving a slight twitch. "...You're lucky, you know. I didn't touch a hair on his head...I could have. But I didn't. Aren't I just so generous?"

           Springtrap heard the phone snap, but didn't pay any attention to it; it was much easier to replace a broken phone than a broken body part...or worse. He made it to the long window in front of the office and saw the Guard blinking slowly and looking around, obviously confused. He locked gazes with the boy for a second and subtly tried to shake his head, hoping Kenneth would understand. The Guard's eyes widened for a moment, and then he closed them and returned to the position he had been in when he spaced out earlier. Springtrap then walked into the room, absently muttering in response to the Puppet, "Yes, yes, thanks for that."

           The Marionette crept in as well, ever so gently. Kenneth once again chomped down on his tongue and held his breath.

           "...That's the first time you've thanked me. I'm flattered," the Puppet said scathingly. Then it turned, slowly advancing towards Kenneth, watching him. _Still._ Probably _still_ in his dream, in his insane delusion. _Madmen helping madmen._ "You want to know something? I think I'll be more content when this all backfires on you."

           "...How so?" Springtrap asked, surreptitiously positioning himself so that it would be very easy to pull Kenneth out of the way should the Marionette try anything violent.

           "Because if you're right... I'll get to go. That cake is all mine, since _you_ did nothing to earn it." A deep, dark little chuckle. "I'll be able to go. I'll say I'm done. And you can rot here for the rest of eternity. Or, more entertainingly, until your body gives out. And you can't move. But you can still think and feel and hate forever."

           The former murderer remained warily silent. He couldn't believe that this very important point hadn't occurred to him before, especially since _he_ was the one who figured out the correlation between six cakes and six children... Even if Kenneth managed to "save them," Springtrap would still be stuck. But, in the back of his mind he had known that whatever growing hope he clung to was false, anyway. He was trapped in Fazbear's Fright forever, and rightly so.

           "...So, I thank you." The Puppet reached out, ever so gently tracing its thin fingers along Kenneth's cheek. "Both of you. I suppose we _are_ friends, right? Friends help each other." A laugh, and it pulled its hand away to look at Springtrap, pinprick eyes seemingly on fire.

           "And if there's any part of you left that hasn't changed, I'd recommend tapping into that, and perhaps killing him before a sense of disappointment hits and you blow a fuse."


	12. Chapter 11: Almost There

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "The rotting rabbit let out a frustrated sigh, clenching one hand into a fist. 'When are you going to get it through your head, Kenneth?! You don't "owe me" anything! In fact, if it weren't for your intriguingly strange reaction when you met me, I probably would've killed you right then and there!' He locked gazes with the Guard, his eyes dark. '...Do you even realize how close you were to death at my hands that first night I started walking around?'
> 
> Kenneth gave a small, staggered step backwards. He paled further, sinking down a little. 'I...I just...Sorry, I, I just...I wanted to...' His eyes shut. '...I wanted to help.'"

** Chapter 11: Almost There **

           Though Springtrap knew that he shouldn't give a damn what happened to the Guard, he couldn't help the feeling of icy terror that shot up his metaphysical spine when the Marionette made such a startling suggestion. Clenching his teeth, he snapped, "...I'll think about it."

           "Good," the Puppet said, reaching out and tapping Kenneth's nose before gently turning away. "I'll keep monitoring your progress. Best of luck..." And.. _.Ugh_ , did it walk away, or did it just melt back into the darkness, as though it was never there at all?

           After waiting a good thirty seconds just to be safe, Springtrap nudged Kenneth's shoulder, asking quietly, "...How're you holding up?"

           Kenneth gasped, wincing. He'd been holding his breath the entire time, and, as usual, he shook a bit. "I'm, I mean, I-I think I bit my tongue h-harder than, than, than the last, um, time, but--I'm, I'm fine."   

           "...Another blatant lie, but I'm certainly not one to judge." The rotting rabbit glanced at the Guard's face and did indeed see a bit of blood when he opened his mouth. "...Do you want to go check that out? There should be running water in the bathroom, I would assume, if you need it."

           "No! No, I--" Kenneth smacked his lips a few times, awkwardly laughing. "I don't, don't need it at all, I'm fine. W-What if it finds me and starts p-poking me again...? I'm fine."

           Springtrap sighed lightly. "That thing is way too...touchy-feely for my liking. But I guess you have to expect that now. I'll act if it _actually_ does something to hurt you, but it seems like, for now, it still thinks I couldn't care less about you. I feel like we should keep up that front, at least until you can finish all of those dreams, and to do that... you'll have to let it get close to you if it wants to."

           Kenneth's shoulders slumped. "I-I wa-was really afraid you'd say that..." 

           The former murderer paused for a moment, and then lightly patted the Guard's shoulder. "Hey, it's either that or let it find out that you've been listening in on our conversations...which I have a feeling it wouldn't be happy about."

           A sigh. _A rock and a hard place, certainly_. "O-Okay, um, I'll...I'll let it...p-poke me or... something." A small smile crossed the boy's face. "But, um, I d-did get the cake."

           "Oh, that's good!" The man in the suit surprised himself at how genuine this enthusiasm was. He frowned, ears tilting downwards; there he went, getting his hopes up again... This all meant nothing to him, so why did he even care? Maybe... maybe the Puppet's words had a ring of truth to them. He was obviously prepared for the Guard's failure, but what if, somehow, Kenneth actually _succeeded_? Would he _really_ be able to handle the fact that everyone, including the horrible Marionette, would be freed while he remained trapped? Understanding his past mistakes certainly didn't mean that the former murderer wouldn't be able to feel the pangs of bitter jealousy that came with once again being left on the back-burner in favor of someone else more important than him.

           After all, hadn't that always been the case? Vincent _always_ got the short end of the stick, so to speak. There would always be someone more important than him, someone more interesting and valuable, and frankly, it was getting irksome. Maybe he _should_ just do away with this silly boy before he had the chance to-

           With a shudder as if he'd received a system-wide shock, Springtrap broke through his mental reverie. Instantly, his gaze fixated on the only living presence in the room; Kenneth was staring at him, still wearing that dopey look of mild satisfaction at having completed yet another "game." The rotting rabbit took a step back, giving his head one firm, hard shake. What the hell was he _thinking?_!

           That Puppet's influence was a powerful thing, indeed.

           "Ye-yeah. Two cakes left." Kenneth said, ignoring the rabbit's strange behavior. Then he paused, before adding in a quiet voice, "Um...I-I'm, I won't, I'm not gonna... Letcha' rot. Or anything. Just... so you know."

           Springtrap froze; how in the world had the boy known the exact thing that the man in the suit had been worrying about? Then, he realized: Kenneth had heard everything since he and the Puppet came back into the room, including the conversation that had triggered Springtrap's mental lapse in the first place. Heavily, he sighed.

           "Good luck with that. But... it's fine, really. Like I've said time and time again, I'm expecting it. Just..." Here the former murderer paused. No, he was _not_ going to revert to his past self. There was no point. "Try not to let the kids suffer with me. They've... been through enough already. As much as the Marionette doesn't want to accept it... I _do_ want them to be free."

           Kenneth blinked, an eyebrow craning slightly. But he still smiled. That was _exactly_ the sort of thing he wanted to hear. "H-hey. Um. If you don't, um, leave, and the a-attraction opens...I'll st-still be here."  

           "Really?!" Springtrap barked a laugh. "After all the shit you've gone through? You'd _still_ work as a 'Guard' here?"

           The boy paled. But slowly, timidly, he nodded. Springtrap was absolutely dumbfounded, his mouth hanging open almost comically. All he could muster was a quiet:

           "... _Why_?"

           "Si-since I'd o-owe you, for, for, um, getting your hopes up." Kenneth fumbled with his hands, looking down. "F-for protecting me"

           "Oh, for-" The rotting rabbit let out a frustrated sigh, clenching one hand into a fist. "When are you going to get it through your head, Kenneth?! You don't 'owe me' anything! In fact, if it weren't for your intriguingly strange reaction when you met me, I probably would've killed you right then and there!" He locked gazes with the Guard, his eyes dark. "...Do you even realize how close you were to death at my hands that first night I started walking around?"

           Kenneth gave a small, staggered step backwards. He paled further, sinking down a little. "I...I just...Sorry, I, I just...I wanted to..." His eyes shut. "...I wanted to help."

           Springtrap remained silent for a second, before sitting down heavily next to where the Guard currently trembled, staring begrudgingly at the floor. "No, I... shouldn't have said that. You just... you have this strange need to 'help' that I can't seem to understand...I just...I don't get _why_ you want to do this so badly."

           Gently, feeling the presence next to him, Kenneth opened his eyes and looked down at the rabbit. "...Since...Well...If I was stuck in there...I'd want someone to help me."

           "Well, obviously. But... why _you_?"

           A small, small smile. "We-well, it...It won't be M-Marionette, right?"

           Springtrap couldn't hold back the ironic chuckle that escaped his throat. "Definitely not."

           "And, uh, it won't be PD...And...And s-someone else won't...So it _has_ to be me, ri-right?" Slowly, he reached down, patting Springtrap's head, desperately hoping that he wouldn't come to regret the gesture. The half-animatronic _seemed_ docile enough, but something about the soul inside was definitely more... _off_ than usual. "But...I'm sure you'll g-get out."

           Springtrap resisted the urge to flinch away at the touch, simply letting his hears tilt downwards. "...We'll see."

           The tilted ears made Kenneth exhale slowly. Thank God he hadn't horribly misjudged the attempt at physical contact. "...And y'know, o-offer st-still stands, i-if you...If you need anything...I'll get it for y-you."

           "...Thanks." The man in the suit mumbled the word quietly, still not one hundred percent used to the Guard's overly-generous nature.

           "...Two more c-cakes, and--And then we'll know for sure." The corner of Kenneth's mouth went into a smile.

           "Yes..." Abruptly, Springtrap stood up and glanced down at the Guard, ready to move on. There was no use dwelling on such a frivolous topic. "...So, where are these mysterious cakes? You don't have to bang on any more walls or posters, do you?" 

           "Uh, f-for one of them! The other, um..." The boy paused, looking away, suddenly talking fast, "I have to find these little gray cupcakes by running around about half the building."

           "'Gray cupcakes?'" The rotting rabbit tilted an ear in confusion, but then shook his head; he should know better than to question exactly _how_ the Guard accessed these delusions.

           "They're...Gray and...Cupcakes." A pause, as though this were obvious. "Um...With eyes."

           Springtrap simply stared at the Guard. "That's... I'm not even going to question it. Let's just go find the easier game, alright?"

           "...Um, right. That's- it's actually..." Kenneth blinked, as though suddenly remembering something. "...It's...Attached to a drawing o-of that puppet."

           "...Great." The rabbit's shoulders slumped. "Let's hope it isn't hanging around the picture, admiring itself..."

           "How is it even--I-I don't... get that thing. You s-said it's a kid, but..." Kenneth sighed, starting to slip out of the office.

           "Well, it _was_ a kid..." Springtrap followed closely behind, keeping a watchful eye out for their current topic of conversation. "But I suppose being brutally murdered and then trapped in an animatronic suit for decades has a way of messing with your personality and mind."

           Kenneth gave a yawn, rubbing his face, looking back to Springtrap with a small frown. "Um...H-how long have _you_ been in there? Y-you're not...Being messed w-with...Right?"

           "Well..." The half-animatronic blinked, gazing at the Guard questioningly. "Remind me: what year is it?" 

           "Um, t-twenty...Seventeen?"

           Springtrap paused for a second, letting that sink in. He knew it had been a long time, but actually hearing the year so casually stated was still a shock. "So...I've been trapped for about...I guess, thirty years, give or take a few..." He began walking again, shaking his head. "Honestly, a lot of my memories from before _this_ thing-" He gestured to the decaying suit. "-are hazy..." 

           Kenneth's shoulders fell, eyes looking down. "...I-I mean...You'll get all of th-that back when...when I get you out. Right?"

           "Who knows? But...I'm not sure if I _want_ to, in all honestly." The boy looked at him, confused, so he once again gestured to the golden suit. "This...the person...thing...you're talking to...this isn't the same person that killed those kids. At least... I don't think he is. Or...or I don't want to believe that he is. I mean...my personality, is...I _know_ it's different that it was back then."

           "P...People...People change, right?" He tried to sound confident, but Kenneth's voice wavered a bit as he shuffled to the side. "I me-mean, on-once you're free, you won't, I mean, you promised n-not to h-hurt me, and that isn't g-gonna ch-change, right?"

           "If I'm ever 'freed,' then presumably I'll either disappear to wherever people go when they die, or, at the very least, I'll just be a ghost who can't actually _do_ anything...so I doubt I'd be able to hurt you even if I, for some reason, felt inclined to do so." A mildly terrified expression lurked behind the Guard's eyes, so he quickly added, "But, for now and for as long as I'm in control, my promise still stands."

           Kenneth let a weak smile cross his face, rubbing his arms to get rid of the goose bumps. His heart was still beating a little too hard, though. "...Thanks, I...I-I don't wanna die."

           "Oh, geez..." Springtrap rolled his eyes and roughly patted Kenneth on the back. "Don't get so worked up; you should be more used to this topic of conversation by now."

           "I _knooow_ , but--" A small whine. "M-maybe I've just been up too long, since now I'm worried about you, a-and Mari st-still want, wants me dead..."

           "Then _stop_ worrying about me, idiot." The rotting rabbit shook his head. "Focus on your _own_  problems...like, for starters, trying not to mutilate your tongue every time you have to listen to the Marionette and I have a chat." He knew that this slight discomfort was the least of the Guard's worries, but he didn't want the frightful human to dwell on the topic of "death" for much longer, lest he have a panic attack.

           The boy paused, rubbing his tongue against the roof of his mouth. He winced. "Well--I--I mean, I don't bi-bite it that hard..." Springtrap tilted his head in an expression of unamused disbelief, so Kenneth clarified, laughing a bit. "We-well, okay, I mean, maybe I--" Then, he paused, looking at the wall. Actually, he stared at it for a while. He counted the drawings, then, quietly, he muttered:

           "...I-It's not...here."

           Springtrap looked at the wall as well, and though he searched every childlike drawing he could, there was definitely no poster of the Marionette. He glanced back at the Guard. "Are you _sure_ this is where it was?"

           "O-Of course! I mean, th-the cameras get really staticy most of th-the time, but-" Kenneth took another look around, just to confirm, "-this _is_ the right h-hall! It w-was right there..." The boy sighed. "I-I could try to find the cupcakes, but...But wi-without the dr-drawing, we'll only have f-five cakes..."

           The rotting rabbit sighed, looking up at the ceiling as if wishing for some sort of answer to be painted on the generic tile. Suddenly, his gaze snapped to the Guard's. "Wait, what time is it? We've been doing this for...well, for a long time, right? Is your shift almost over?"

           The boy gave another small yawn. "I-I should hope, it has been a-a while...'m kinda tired... Why?"

           "I was just thinking... You probably have to go soon, right? Maybe...maybe the poster will magically re-appear tomorrow night, or something...You said some of the games were hard to get to, anyway, and besides, look at _me_." The man in the suit put a golden paw to his chest. "Anything is possible in this place, right? Maybe the picture will come back."

           "I--Right." Kenneth smiled, nodding. "You...You're o-onto something there. And--And m-maybe th-this time PD will pick up the phone a-and we can get you fixed!"

           Springtrap let out a half-hearted chuckle. "A nice thought, but I'm not getting my hopes up...At least my 'daytime mode' still won't be activated...I hope."

           "Yeah, p-probably for the best..." The Guard laughed as well, shaking his head. "He--He hasn't even called me since he sent th-those weird tapes over."

           "Maybe this place scared him off before he was able to open it." Springtrap shook his head. "...But, I have no idea how other people think. Whatever his reason may be for ignoring you, you might want to at least try to tell him about the Marionette. My repairs come second to making sure that _that_ thing is known to the public, if PD still plans to open this damned place..."  

           Kenneth reached up, rubbing the back of his neck. "...Wh-what if it took th-the drawing?"

           "...Then good luck getting it back."

           "But if we don't ha-have it--We--We ca-can't get the cake and...And..."

           "Look, I have a feeling that the Puppet didn't take it. It's intrigued by what you're doing, and...wants to see how this turns out."

           "But--It hates me, and you, wh-why would it bother..." Kenneth frowned, to himself. "...Maybe i-it wants t-to get out too?"  

           Springtrap chuckled darkly. "It's only other option is to torture me for the rest of its eternal life, which I'm sure it would _love_ to do... But I have a feeling that if it _could_ get out, it would jump at the chance. Still, it really doesn't believe that this will work; it thinks that this is all in your mind. This is just... something to entertain it, for the time being."

           "I just--I mean--I, I want this all to work, and...I want you to get out. I do. So, so I'm just w-worried it's sabotaging me."

           "Well, if it is, there isn't much you can do except talk to it-" The half-animatronic locked gazes with the Guard. "-which is a _bad_ idea, by the way, so don't even think about it. It's not a fan of... strongly-opinionated people, like yourself."

           This stern warning didn't stop Kenneth's eyes from wandering away, as though thinking over the idea. "...I-I mean...M-maybe it could he-help; it's obviously important..."

           "Kenneth..." Springtrap's tone grew darker, more serious, his eyes flashing. "... _Don't_." 

           "...Wi-with the statue, the crying kid th-that looked like him..." His voice went into a mumble. "C-could be worth it..." 

           "Fine." Springtrap threw his hands up into the air, entirely done with trying to convince the idiotic boy to _not_ do something probably life-threatening. "If you want to risk your life by trying to talk to that disturbed thing, go right ahead. But if anything happens, it was _your_ decision." 

           "I-I mean--No! I just--I want--And if it doesn't work and..." Kenneth backed up a step. "I...It...I-I just...I don't want you getting hurt again."

           "Again, thanks for the concern, but as long as I'm stuck in this suit, I'm going to be 'hurt' in one way or another." The former murderer shrugged. "It's just the way things are."

           "...That's...That's why I'm ge-getting you...Out. No more hurting, right?"

           Springtrap closed his eyes for a moment, tired of arguing. Nothing he could say would convince Kenneth to go, it seemed. Eventually, he half-shrugged and simply agreed, "...Right."

           A big smile crossed the boy's face. "And even if you _can't_ move on, I'll--I'll letcha' haunt me and stuff!"

           This comment took Springtrap so much by surprise that he accidentally let out a loud, barking sort of laugh, before responding sarcastically, "Oh, great, that's _exactly_ what I was looking forward to!"

           The laugh made Kenneth jump, but then he chuckled at himself for being so tense. _Relax, Kenneth. You're making progress with him; he's joking around a little bit. Keep it up!_ "Th-that's good! You can h-hang around and t-tip my chairs, I w-won't mind!"

           The rotting rabbit grinned so widely that the mummified face underneath nearly showed through. "I'm sure I would get on your nerves after a while."

           "Well, I mean...Pr-probably not." Kenneth did his best to ignore the near-face-reveal, matching Springtrap's grin with an even bigger smile of his own. "Unless y-you break all my plates."

           "...Then you'd better hide them in a _really_ good spot."  

           "You--After all I've done-" Another small laugh, "-you're going o-out of your way to break my dishes?!"

           Springtrap rolled his eyes, strangely unable to wipe the grin off his face. "Alright, alright, I suppose I could leave you one or two."

           "I ca-can't eat everything out of bowls, d-dope." Kenneth paused, and then added, "...Don't b-break those too."   

           The rotting rabbit merely shrugged, holding up his hands palm-up in a non-confirming gesture, "No promises, Night Guard."

           The false Guard gave a teasing little smirk. "W-What's with you and my dishware?"

           "Hey, you're the one that suggested it."

           "Th-that doesn't mean t-to go _through_ with it." 

           "Well, this is all based on whether I'll be haunting you at the end of this, anyway." A bit reluctantly, Springtrap tore his attention away from the Guard to check down the hallways for unwanted visitors. To his surprise, and vague unease, he felt almost..."happy" wasn't the right word to describe this, certainly, but he was significantly less depressed as he had been for as long as he could remember. It was a bit unnerving how easily he had just participated in a semi-normal (at least, normal in the fact that they were both smiling and laughing) conversation with the overly-emotional boy in front of him. "...You should probably be going."

           Kenneth rolled his shoulders back, nodding. "Hope that drawing comes back. But, but I...I need sleep." Another small yawn, the Guard turning around, slowly making his way to the exit door. "Hey, you n-need me to get anything f-for 'ya when I-I'm out?"

           The rabbit tilted an ear. "What could _I_ possibly need?"

           "...I dunno, m-maybe you have s-some human possessions of sentiment-tal value? Th-that's a ghost thing, right?"

           "The only 'human possession' I care about is trapped inside this suit, along with my soul." Springtrap let out a dark chuckle. "And I wouldn't advise trying to get _that_ out..." 

           Curiously, Kenneth blinked, then leaned just a hair closer. "Um, wh-what is it?"

           "...My body, idiot." He lightly flicked the Guard between the eyes. "Along with the custom uniform I worked so hard to get..." He chuckled to himself, as if remembering an inside joke. "Purple isn't a very common color for a Security Guard's uniform, you know."

           The flick made Kenneth stumble back, rubbing his forehead. "Um...Ew, y-yeah, I don't-" A shudder. "No. Can't he-help there."

           "I didn't think so."

           "Hopefully you'll be human when we get you out of there, though!" Cheerfully, Kenneth briefly ran into the office to grab his back on his way out, then continued down the hall, pausing near the exit door. "...Just, y'know, hopefully not rotting and scary!"

           "Yeah, that would be ideal..." As Kenneth began to turn the doorknob, the rotting rabbit added a little hesitantly, "You _are_ going to try and come during the day, right? I mean, the poster might be back, so..." _Plus, I don't want to be stuck by myself with that damn Puppet for hours and hours,_ he mentally added.

           "I'll try!" Kenneth promised, waving goodbye as he pushed the door open. "I really will this time!" Then, slowly, he walked out, letting the door swing shut behind him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Hello, everyone! A quick note before you exit out of this chapter: as of now, Kenneth, Springtrap, and the Marionette only have one more night in Fazbear's Fright... but it's going to be a big one! The timeline of the story will slow down from here on out, but the characters and events certainly won't. Thank you again for reading~


	13. Chapter 12: Old Habits Die Hard

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Kenneth didn't say anything for a while, finger trailing against a few drawings. Then, curiously but quietly, he asked, 'What...happens w-when you're all gone?'
> 
> The question made Springtrap freeze in place, blinking slowly. 'What do you...mean?'
> 
> The boy stopped too, swallowing hard. 'I-If I can't save you, a-and you're losing yourself in th-th-there...Well, wh-what, what happens when, um...When there's nothing more to...To lose?'"

** Chapter 12: Old Habits Die Hard **

           It was about five o'clock in the evening. Kenneth had half a sandwich in his mouth, a box of crackers and three water bottles in a bag, along with something else he was keeping hidden for the time being. He bumped the door open with his side, swallowing a bite of sandwich before taking the rest of it out of his mouth so that he could cheerily call out, "He-hello?"

           Although Springtrap had walked around for a good amount of time during the day, about a half hour prior he had placed himself against the wall, more or less where Kenneth had left him the night before. He stared at the door as it opened, surprised that the Guard had actually managed to get there well before midnight. "Well, well...look who it is!"

           "I-It's me!" Kenneth smiled, taking a final munch of his sandwich. He was happy that he wouldn't have to search the attraction for the half-animatronic's whereabouts this time. "I, um, I had to, to get some snacks and stuff, but I m-made it! I mean...Couldn't leave you l-lonely, right?" A pause, then he suddenly laughed, opening his bag and fumbling around. "I-I even gotcha' something!"

           A little painfully, for the joints had begun to lock up again, Springtrap got to his feet, tilting his head questioningly. "...You _really_ shouldn't have."

           "But I did!" Another laugh, and the boy pulled something out of the bag- a scarf, it seemed, in a bright purple color. He rocked forward on his feet a little to start putting it around the rotting rabbit's neck. "Here 'ya g-go."

           Springtrap's mouth literally fell open as the scarf was wrapped around him, unable to comprehend _why_ the Guard had suddenly brought him this gift. As the boy gently finished wrapping the accessory around his neck, he managed to stutter out, "What? I don't... I can't feel temperature, remember? I...I told you that a while ago..."

           "I know." Kenneth smiled, rocking back. "I just t-thought you'd like the c-color." 

           "I mean, it's..." The man in the suit shook his head slightly, letting out a dumbfounded laugh. "It's purple, so..."

           "Ye-yeah, exactly! Si-since you w-went through so much trouble to get a uniform like that-" The boy paused, pulling on the sleeve of his own navy-blue costume uniform, "-I thought you'd like it, so you weren't all g-gross and yellow." 

           "Gee, thanks." The half-animatronic's tone was sarcastic, responding to the off-handed comment. However, he couldn't help the small grin that now tugged on the corners of the suit's rotting mouth. "...You really didn't have to get this, you know."

           "Still did! I-I would have g-gotten actual clothes, but, uh, I... kinda figured that'd be a lot harder to actually put on." Kenneth grinned back at the rabbit. "S-So the scarf'll do!"

           Springtrap merely blinked, shaking his head slightly. "You're unbelievable, sometimes." 

           Kenneth zipped up his bag again, blinking. "B-But you _do_ like it, right?"

           "I..." The former murderer lightly grasped the scarf with one hand. Though he couldn't feel its texture, he was afraid that it would catch on some loose part of the rotting suit, so he tried to hold it as gingerly as possible. Bringing it up closer within his field of vision, he realized that it would actually compliment his uniform perfectly- at least, the way the uniform had originally looked before being trapped between a rotting suit and body for decades. "...Yes, it's...it goes with my uniform, I think. Um...thanks."

           Kenneth gave a giant smile and a relieved laugh, setting his bag on the ground. _Thank God._ "Great! Gl-glad you really like it. You're welcome." The boy then straightened. "S-so, nothing bad happen while I was gone?"

           Springtrap dropped the end of the scarf, letting it rest loosely around his neck. "Just the usual harassment, and another threat with the damn mop...but other than that, it was pretty quiet."

           "We-well, that's... good, I think? All the more reason t-to maybe free it, right? Then it can't short-circuit you a-again."

           "Yes." The half-animatronic suppressed a shiver at the memory. "Understandably, I have a bad aversion to water, so if you could maybe take the mop and bucket out of here before you leave tonight, that would be great." He gazed absently down the hallway. "Since, you know...I can't actually leave the building."

           "Oh, of course!" Kenneth nodded rapidly. "I mean, n-no reason to do more cleaning for a while... B-besides, if you don't move on, we need to k-keep you functional. For th-the attraction."

           "Right, to scare the crap out of the patrons." Springtrap met the Guard's gaze, tilting an ear. "By the way, what exactly am I expected to _do_? Wander around aimlessly? Because I obviously have free roam of the entire building, I just can't go outside... Did this 'PD' guy really think it was a good idea to let something like _me_ wander around without any safeguards?"

           "Oh, um..." Kenneth looked away in thought, pausing. "PD, um, h-he said--You're supposed t-to, to walk around, and that you'll b-be drawn to voices and stuff so you don't go too far. L-like a spooky moving prop!" Another pause, a small laugh. "Th-that was before I knew you were alive, a-and he still doesn't know..."

           "Ah, I...suppose that makes sense. And these things-" The rabbit pointed to his decaying ears. "-are definitely still attracted to noise."

           "I-I guess th-that party room is kind of your hub, since that's where you usually go when I hit that button..." The boy shrugged. "Maybe it'll be sc-scarier since you're alive."

           "Were you actually planning to tell the patrons that little detail?"

           "...We-well, I mean, no, I wasn't, but...M-maybe they'll like the skull thing?"

           "Oh, you mean _this_?" Just for the hell of it, Springtrap suddenly pulled the animatronic suit's mouth open, once again revealing the rotted skull trapped inside the suit. Kenneth jumped back almost comically, turning three shades whiter and looking away quickly.

           "D-Don't _do_ that!" the boy squeaked out. The rotting rabbit put the mask back into place, trying his best not to laugh.

           "Sorry, but your expression is just too priceless."

           "It's a scary screaming head!" Kenneth frowned. "I-it's a rational ex-expression, I--I think!"

           "That may be, but it still doesn't help the fact that your reaction is entertaining. I think you'll definitely fit into your job here." The Guard's pout deepened, so Springtrap sighed and, without thinking, lightly placed his hand on top of Kenneth's head and gently ruffled his hair. "Sorry, I won't do it again... that often."

           Kenneth's pout changed into a small smile, sighing. "And I'm ho-holding you to that!" Gently, he rolled back from Springtrap's claw. The mild disbelief that the soul inside the suit had been the one to initiate the action didn't detract from the potential of an exposed wire or spring-lock accidentally catching on Kenneth's blonde hair. "S-So then! We're gettin' th-the last cakes tonight, right?"

           "If you can find them," the rotting rabbit responded, placing his hand back at his side.

           "Of course I-I can! Um, m-maybe I'll go for the ch-chicken one, with the cupcakes, first..." The boy looked back to Springtrap. "Can you watch my bag while I, uh, r-run around the building for a-a bit?"  

           "Well, sure, but..." Springtrap gestured towards the ominously empty hallways. "Do you want me to follow you around? For...protection, or something?"

           "I-I kind of w-wanted to get it done fast, and, um...You're not really the fastest, and..." He trailed off; he knew this would be the best option, although the hallways _did_ admittedly make him shiver a little. _Urk._

           "I understand." The half-animatronic bent down to grab the bag and drag it closer to the wall, clearing a path should the Guard need to run down the hallway they were currently in. "Then I'd suggest you go soon. The closer it is to the nightshift, the more active the Marionette gets..."

           _That_ certainly made Kenneth start running.

           "I--I'll be back, I promise!" he called over his shoulder as he very suddenly bolted down the hall. Springtrap merely waved as the Guard rounded a corner and was out of sight. Sighing and shaking his head slightly, he leaned against the wall and listened to the hurried footsteps echoing throughout the attraction.

           Back and forth, back and forth. At one point, it almost sounded like the boy tripped over his own feet trying to get this done quick enough. But soon, his footsteps stopped entirely. The hyper-sensitive ears of the rabbit were, of course, acutely tuned in to this sudden lack of sound. Cautiously, Springtrap called out:

           "Night Guard? Did you find it?" 

           Silence. Not even the Marionette's clicking feet. Just...nothing. Understandably, Springtrap didn't like this absolute lack of response. Grabbing the Guard's bag, he walked towards where he had last heard the footsteps until he came upon Kenneth standing completely still, just around the corner. The boy had himself sort of propped up, forehead against the wall, like any of his other hallucinatory dreams. There were no cupcakes around, though- maybe he was imagining those, too.

           Tilting his ears in mild question, Springtrap leaned against the same wall that the boy was resting on, watching him for any sign of movement or distress. Of course, he also listened for any _other_ unpleasant sounds, but to his relief, he heard nothing. Meanwhile, Kenneth's finger gave a small twitch, then his hands curled. But slowly, gently, slowly... he gave a little smile.

           A handful of moments later, the Guard gave a small gasp, blinking his eyes to refocus them. He pushed himself off the wall- then suddenly froze, voice going to a whisper.

           "Th-that Puppet isn't--It's not-- _here,_ right?"

           "Relax," Springtrap said, moving his hand so that it was hovering a few inches above the Guard's back, unsure if the touch would unnerve him more or reassure him with the familiar presence. "It hasn't shown up since you got here; you're fine!"

           Kenneth sighed in relief, some color returning to his skin. "Th-that's--That's good. I...I was worried."

           "I would've let you know if it was around." The rabbit gazed at the Guard expectantly. "...So?"

           A sudden, big smile. "Ye-yep, I, I found...Found th-the cake!"

           "Good! So...one left, huh?"

           "Yep! And...And that's just th-the poster one."

           "Which is...mysteriously gone. At least the last time we checked."

           "...Ri-right. Um. I-If it's not back, I...I don't know...What we can do." 

           "Well, we can figure that out if the need arises." Springtrap gestured to the hallway leading towards where the poster was supposedly located. "Let's go."

           Kenneth swallowed, then nodded, wringing his hands as he began to walk down the hall. _So close_ , they were just... _So close_. "I-I'm sort of...Hah...Hoping these cakes mean something after all this. W-wouldn't that be something, all, all this trouble, and they--They're worthless?"

           "...Try not to get your hopes up _too_ high." The rotting rabbit said, following the Guard once again. "If this doesn't work out, then... at least you tried, right?"

           "W-well, I know--But--Well...T-trying doesn't mean a lot if you're still stuck here and h-hurting and the Puppet is th-threatening you with water." A small, slightly somber laugh, a strange sound to come from the usually enthusiastic boy.

           Springtrap shrugged. "Hey, if you take the bucket away it'll be harder for it to get its hands on anything liquid, so...I'll be alright."

           "You sure? I-I'm still trying to vouch for repairs, but to be honest--" Kenneth sort of laughed and rolled his eyes, "PD probably wouldn't. You're creepy all... holey and... stuff."

           Springtrap he lifted up an arm and glanced into a particularly large hole in the suit, the dim lighting revealing the off-white and brown colors of the rotting corpse beneath. "Wait until he finds out what's _behind_ these holes..." 

           "As though that won't m-make him like you more?" The boy gave a small, knowing grin. "P-Probably thinks they're fake!" 

           "And are you going to _tell_ him that they're not? Or are you going to leave everyone believing that all of this is just some morbid theme park attraction?"

           "If freeing you doesn't work? I, well...Sort of pl-planning on the latter." Kenneth rubbed his arms, looking away. "Ev-everyone thinks it's urban m-myth, the murders, th-the hauntings...I mean--Knowing it's re-real, it's s-super mean spirited, but...They d-don't know."

           "...That's probably for the best." 

           "Y-Yeah." The Guard's eyes moved to skim about the wall as he turned a corner, looking the familiar drawings over. "I don't kn-know who thought this w-was a good idea..."

           Springtrap couldn't help but let out a short, dark chuckle. "You're saying that to the person who thought it was a 'good idea' to murder children for..." He frowned slightly, his ears tilting downwards. "For... _whatever_ my motivation was."

           "...You don't...Remember?" A little bit of worry crept into Kenneth's voice. "I-I mean, I know th-the hardware makes you forget, but, well, I, I just assumed that's not the sort of thing that would go so quick..."

           "I mean...it's _there_ , definitely, but..." The former murderer shook his head slightly. "It's like it's on the tip of my tongue...I know I didn't _forget_ , it's just...hard to reach right now."

           Kenneth didn't say anything for a while, finger trailing against a few drawings. Then, curiously but quietly, he asked, "What...happens w-when you're all gone?"

           The question made Springtrap freeze in place, blinking slowly. "What do you...mean?"

           The boy stopped too, swallowing hard. "I-If I can't save you, a-and you're losing yourself in th-th-there...Well, wh-what, what happens when, um...When there's nothing more to...To lose?"

           Springtrap blinked again, his body completely still otherwise. Quietly, unsure of the true answer, he said, "If I lose what's left of my humanity, then I suppose I'll just...I'll just disappear."

           "And just..." Kenneth shifted his weight uncomfortably, "...Become the robot?"

           "I...I guess so." He chuckled, though the sound was harsh against the tense atmosphere. "I don't think PD would be very happy about that...the robot's personality is totally family-friendly."

           "H-he'd probably just t-tamper with it..." Another swallow. "...M-maybe a full system re-reboot to...Make it more his taste..."

           Springtrap's gaze snapped to the Guard's, his eyes hard. "That would probably be a _bad_ idea. If people thought that those dead children were bad, it seems that they at least had _some_ sort of residual conscience...But to set a robot to 'terrorize' mode? That's just asking for trouble, not to mentions tons of lawsuits."

           "They all think it's just a myth." Kenneth's shoulders fell. "A-and I...I have a feeling h-he'd be--Be more th-then willing to do it. He wouldn't b-believe me if I told him anyway!"

           "Then let's just hope I don't completely revert to 'robot mode.'" The rotting rabbit shifted his weight, and a flash of purple caught his eye. He had completely forgotten that he was wearing a brightly-colored scarf. Automatically, he removed it from around his neck. When the Guard's sad expression deepened, he explained, "...In case you-know-who shows up and wants to think of a new, creative way to torture me with _this_." He held the scarf out to the Guard, trying his best to give him a reassuring grin. "I'll take it back when this is all over; how's that sound?"

           Kenneth reluctantly let a small half-smile cross his face. Gently, he took the scarf, wrapping it around his own neck. "...Th-that sounds good. M-maybe it'll even help you remember or...Something!"

           "Maybe." Springtrap let out a small sigh and shook his head. "Anyway...is that poster here, or is it still missing?"

           The boy stared at the wall, steeling his nerves. He counted the posters again. Then, slowly, he looked down and laughed slightly. "...It f-fell on the floor." Though a tear at the top suggested otherwise, Kenneth felt no need to acknowledge this. "...It's here."

           "That's...great." Springtrap closed his eyes briefly. Though he knew this was probably all pointless, he couldn't help but feel a tiny bit relieved, if nothing else than for the fact that maybe Kenneth would soon come to his senses and realize that there truly was _nothing_ he could do. Then this whole farce would be over, and he might understand how inane buying presents for a deceased murderer really was.

           "This is it." The boy sunk down to his knees. "Just--Just one more. It'll...be okay." He picked up the drawing, holding it close, and let his eyes close. Springtrap remained standing, as usual, glancing down each end of the hallway, acutely aware that a certain someone was likely to show its face in the near future.

           Silence, for a merciful moment. And then, those thin fingers were suddenly around either end of the scarf, holding both ends loosely. For the time being.

           The rotting rabbit instantly tensed at the Marionette's close proximity to the Guard, keeping a careful eye on those disturbingly thin fingers. "...What do you want _now_?"

           "You're really going to let him do this?" The Puppet gave a surprised little chuckle. "I thought you would have listened to my advice."

           "Oh, what's the harm in letting him get lost in his delusions?" Springtrap attempted a nonchalant shrug. "It's not like they're going to work; and besides, he'll probably quit after such a huge disappointment, and then you'll get a _new_ playmate to torture."  

           A dark little chuckle. The Marionette's fingers curled tighter. "...You haven't even been listening to him, have you? Of course you haven't, my friend. But I have. Every word. And what I know is...He won't leave until someone _makes him_." 

           "...Then _I'll_ push him out the door once he comes out of his hallucinatory coma." Springtrap didn't like the way that the thin creature was gripping that scarf. Just one hard tug, and the Guard would suddenly find himself _very_ uncomfortable.

           "As though _that'll_ stop him?" The Puppet's hands began to move, pulling at the scarf, tugging it, slow and teasing. "No...No. I'm shocked you never jumped at the chance."

           The former murderer instinctively flinched at the movement, and then quickly said, desperately hoping the creature hadn't noticed, "I've been biding my time. I... have my own way of doing this sort of thing, as I'm sure you know."

           "Biding your time for...How long has it been? Five nights? Six?" It sounded skeptical. "Considering your most famous escapade was done and over with in one afternoon..."

           Springtrap was silent, keeping his gaze locked on the Marionette. _Shit,_ he thought. His facade was _really_ slipping now. But, Kenneth was _so_ close to getting all the cakes; he couldn't let the Guard fail, not when he'd already come so far.

           The Marionette sighed. "But obviously, I forgot I can't even trust the moron who jumped into his own death trap for one simple murder." Another pull. This one was sharper, making Kenneth cough and twitch.

           The cough proved too much for the rotting rabbit. He had made a promise to the Guard, and he certainly didn't want the horrid Puppet to be the one who made him break it. Surprising himself with his fast response, Springtrap grabbed the two ends of the scarf in one hand and the Marionette's thin arms in another, wrenching the scarf from its grip. The force of it made Kenneth sputter a little, but he didn't appear to have suffered any lasting damage. Tightening his grip on the Marionette, Springtrap picked it up off of the ground and held it eye level, hissing in a low voice. "...I'm tired of your games."

           The Puppet simply laughed.

           "You just saved him," it said, amusement in its voice. Slowly, curiously, it tilted its head. "The big bad child murderer saved _one_ delusional idiot from choking. Oh, how quaint."

           "... _And_?" It was taking all of Springtrap's willpower not to snap the thing in half right then and there. Gently, ever so gently, the Marionette's fingers curled.

           "Why, he's nothing more than a big child, isn't he? Playing games, getting cozy with the robots. I thought you _hated_ children, hmm?" 

           An unexpected, stabbing pain shot through the former murderer's head, making his mechanical body twitch and instinctively grip the Marionette's arms tighter. _Yes,_ he...he _did_ hate children, didn't he? Their incessant noise, always _whining_ and _crying_ , doing everything they were told _not_ to do... Slowly, he locked gazes with the Puppet, his eyes flashing darkly, murmuring:

           "...Yes...and that's why I..."

           The Marionette's own eyes gave a small, expectant flicker.

           "Why you...?" it prompted, giving a small chuckle. " _There_ we go..."

           "... _You_ wouldn't stop crying..." The half-animatronic's eyes narrowed. "I...tried to comfort you, but you just...screamed louder... It was..." He twitched again, mouth opening in a slight sneer. "It was so... _aggravating_..."

           One of the Puppet's hand reached up, long, thin fingers picking at Springtrap's metal claws, freeing one arm from his grip. "He's such a fool, isn't he...? You should teach him what fools get."

           The man in the suit's eyes rolled towards the Guard. What _exactly_ was it that made him want to protect the trembling human? Not his sweet, child-like personality, surely. That was, after all, the type of person that Vincent hated the most...

           A gentle tug, and the Marionette freed itself from the rabbit's grip. One of its hands went onto the former murderer's shoulder. "Haven't you heard the way he screams? He doesn't _actually_ care about you; he thinks you're _horrific_..."

           Something was tugging at the back of Vincent's mind; a thought, struggling to break through the confusion. _What was the..._ what? Best way to kill the human? Most efficient? His new body was certainly stronger; it would just take a simple twist of the Guard's frail neck, and then-

           "You're right...No one's _ever_ shown me this sort of compassion unless they were lying about it. I'm sure that _he's_ no exception..." The rotting rabbit half-halfheartedly raised an arm, mere inches from the Guard's exposed back.

           "Good, my friend; I always knew you'd make me proud." The Puppet's voice was so smooth, so intoxicatingly smooth, and Kenneth...

           Well, his eyes were closed, and he didn't dare open them. His fingers shook, tearing the paper all the more, but he struggled to-

           _Keep still._

_Keep calm._

_This was all just a mind game._

_Springtrap wouldn't, he promised._

_Just--_

_Wait--!_


	14. Chapter 13: Goodbye

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "'Shit,' he thought, struggling to keep his eyes open and not slip into the darkness, 'am I....dying? Again? No...no, that's impossible...right? I'm... I'm already dead! Nothing was fixed! The dreams were only dreams! So why... why is this memory making me...'"

** Chapter 13: Goodbye **

           Springtrap remained still. Something about the Marionette's words sent a nagging tug through his mind. The former murderer's hand hovered so close to Kenneth's shoulder that the Guard could feel the unnerving cold that radiated off of the metal endoskeleton underneath the rotting fur. Blinking slowly, as if coming out of a daze, Springtrap turned his head towards the Puppet.

           "...Why...why would I need to make _you_ proud?" the rotting rabbit questioned, addressing the thin creature. "Who are _you_ to _me_?"

           "Me?" A gentle little laugh came from the Marionette. "Why, I am your friend, of course. Your _best_ friend. In fact, I'd say we're the closest companions one could ever find."

           "W-What do you...mean?" The half-animatronic found it harder and harder to think clearly. Ever-so-slightly, he lowered his hand away from Kenneth's shoulder, eyes narrowed in confusion. Amid the Marionette's strange choice of words, that mysterious thought bubbled up in his mind again: _What was the..._

_...what?_ He still couldn't find the answer.

           "Why..." Did the Puppet walk nearer, or did it glide? Teleport through the shadows? It slowly put its hands on Springtrap's shoulders. "We help each other. And we trust each other." One finger traced down the side of the rabbit's face as Kenneth meekly peeked an eye open. "...I daresay we care about one another, through thick and thin."

           "I...I _never_ cared about you." The former murderer flinched away from the Puppet's touch, but the thing had a surprisingly strong grip on his shoulders. "That's...that's why I..."

           "I care _so_ much, you see. And this-" It cast its gaze on Kenneth, who quickly shut his eyes again and struggled to look comatose, "- _child_...Is interrupting our friendship. Rude, isn't it?"

           "...You don't care." Springtrap's eyes narrowed, and he placed his hands on top of the Marionette's. "After what I did to you...why would you suddenly _care_ about me? And...and why are you so intent on me killing _him_?" His eyes flickered to the Guard and back to the other creature. In the split-second that he was able to catch a glimpse of Kenneth, he could tell that the man was, unfortunately, already awake.

           The Puppet's voice lowered to a comfortable little purr. "Why, you're just as intent. You hate loud, pathetic, screaming things. After all..." It willingly leaned all the closer. "...Look. _We're still here._ He's a _failure_."

           "What..." As if the fog in his mind had miraculously been lifted, the thought that had been plaguing Springtrap finally became clear: "What...What's the _point_?" To the Puppet's surprise and slight concern, the dead man let out a dry laugh. " _What's the damn point?_ I went on a killing spree thirty years ago, and look where it got me: impaled in a suit with my own-literal, in _your_ case- demons to torture me...Yes, it would be _so_ easy to rip him apart..." He spared the Guard a cold glance, and saw that the human was now noticeably trembling. "...But it wouldn't give me the same... _satisfaction_ that I would have gotten before. The satisfaction of knowing that I got away with it..." He laughed again, staring back at the Marionette.

           "Obviously, I _didn't_ get away with it, in the end... And so, now, the only thing I have to look forward to is... _you._ Whether I kill this Guard, the patrons of the attraction, or anyone else... I'll always end up with _you_ , egging me on from the shadows." His grip tightened around the Puppet's hands. "I killed those kids because it gave me satisfaction at the time. However, what would give me the most pleasure _now_ is doing exactly what you _don't_ want. And, to that effect-" The rotting rabbit gestured his head towards the shaking boy. "- _he's_ no longer on my hit list." 

           Kenneth's eyes almost bolted open, some weak and shaky smile crossing his face. However, the lingering fear of impending danger forced him to shut his eyes again.

           The Marionette pulled on its hands, its own eyes flickering. It shook its head with a dark little laugh. "...Oh, look at _you._ Aren't you brave? Noble, even. And yet, we're both still here, and he succeeded in nothing, and really, you wasted your time. So there's that. Hope you're pleased that _this_ is what you're spending time doing."

           "As long as it pisses you off, I'm as content as I'll ever be in this hell-hole," Springtrap responded. He gripped the thin hands tighter, grinning as he heard a crack and saw the Marionette flinch. "...Oh dear, you were still recovering from before, weren't you?" Roughly, he pushed the Puppet away, feeling proud as it glared and held its now-injured hands to its chest. "You might want to take another little time-out, don't you think?"

           _Oof. Did that damn bunny split a wire? ...No._ Careful prodding confirmed he didn't. _Good._ The Puppet's fingers gently flexed. "...You never cease to vex me." It shook its head before slipping off into the darkness, seeming to walk straight through the wall. Then, there was nothing but blessed silence, save for Kenneth's shallow breathing.

           It was gone. For how long was another question, but for the time being... it was gone.

           As soon as the Puppet was out of sight, Springtrap collapsed against the wall next to the Guard, trying to control the nervous twitching in his hands. Standing up the Marionette like that had been much more nerve-wracking that he thought it would be. It was just a dead child, after all... so why did it unnerve him so much?

           Kenneth, meanwhile, worked to steady his breathing. His eyes peeked open, looking at the drawing in his hands, almost halfway torn. He swallowed hard, his gaze moving to Springtrap. Quietly, breathlessly, he murmured: "Th-th... Thank... Thank you."

           The former murderer's eyes met the Guard's, and he felt an immediate stab of guilt. For a moment, he had been seriously considering the Puppet's suggestion. "...You _really_ shouldn't be thanking me, trust me."

           "You st-still... Saved... Me." Kenneth swallowed, hands suddenly shaking again, the paper crumpling. "...I...I g-got th-the... The ending... Th-there wasn't any cake, j-just a party..."

           The rabbit's shoulders slumped, but he attempted a tired sort of grin. "Well...I said it was pointless, didn't I?"

           Kenneth looked back, trying to smile as well. "But... Sin-since I got all the cake, it... It was a nice party. And...And everyone was...Th-there..."

           "'Everyone?'" Springtrap tilted his head questioningly.

           The boy glanced down at the drawing. "There... There was Freddy, and... Foxy... Ch-Chica, Bonnie, ev-even... Even th-the yellow bear. And..." Here, he started shaking again. "Th-the P-puppet w-was th-there. I... c-controlled it. In... the dream."

           "...Interesting." The man in the suit let out a small sigh. "But, unfortunately, it looks like all of this was for nothing." He glanced at the Guard, whose eyes were beginning to water. "...Sorry."

           "And they were all little k-kids!" Kenneth, however, seemed not to hear him. "In th-these masks, and th-the masks fell to the floor..." He hung his head, starting to cry. "S-Springtrap, th-they... they g-got to _go!_ "

           The rabbit fully turned towards the Guard, eyes as wide as they could be. "...What are you talking about?"

           Kenneth let out another sob, then sniffled loudly, coughing. "Th-the Marionette was this little gr-grey child, and... I moved it to...to th-the party, with a big c-cake... When I d-did that, I s-saw th-the others, and-" _Sniff._ "-they were children, in little masks, of Freddy and Bonnie and you know who else..." _Sob._ "Th-the one at th-the head of th-the table was a lighter b-bear, and he w-was crying 't-till I came near, and then his mask went on... A-and the kids... Th-they vanished. Their m-masks fell o-off and... landed on the ground." He wiped at his eyes with a dark blue sleeve. "And... And the balloons on the ceiling... R-rose up."

           Springtrap pondered this for moment, frowning and muttering to himself, "Then... maybe that means they're... But... but you were awake before the Marionette left, and it was still crazy. So, maybe... it _didn't_ work?" He shook his head. "I don't know..."

           "Did I miss a dream?!" Kenneth, remarkably, began to shake even more, a fresh batch of tears streaming down his face. "Th--There has to be another dream and--I--I have to go to sleep, and there _has_ to be another dream!"

           "Kenneth!" The man in the suit said loudly, mildly concerned. The startled Guard jumped a tad, and Springtrap lightly placed a hand on his shoulder. "Whatever happened, it's not going to get better if you freak out..."

           "...I need to g-go to sleep." Kenneth sniffled hard, appreciating the gesture. Though the half-animatronic paw was cold and strangely squishy due to the rotting fur, the sensation was at least enough to ground him back in the present. "...Th-there h-has to be one more d-dream, and, and if I have it, then..."

           Nervously, Springtrap glanced down the empty hallway. "Do you really want to sleep _here_?"

           Kenneth nodded meekly.

           "I-I can't wait until I'm home t-to have another w-weird dream. I...Y-yes."

           The rotting rabbit shook his head, returning the golden paw to his side. "You're an idiot... What if the Marionette shows up again?! You're not just going to be hallucinating; you'll actually be _asleep_. You're a lot more defenseless in that state, you know..."

           "...I-I need..." Kenneth coughed, nodding, his eyes reddish. "Everyone e-else in my dreams are br-broken and I...There has to be..."

           "Okay, okay," the former murderer relented, knowing full well that the Guard wasn't going to give this up. He also didn't like the way Kenneth's whole demeanor had changed; he was frail before, sure, but this never-ending trembling was actually a bit concerning. Gently, Springtrap unwrapped the scarf from the boy's neck and draped it over his own shoulders, not wanting a repeat of earlier, and lightly pushed Kenneth in the direction of the office. "Your office is probably the best place, I guess. It has a comfy chair, at least."

           Kenneth nodded again, stumbling a little as he began to walk. There _had_ to be another dream. "...S-sorry. It'll wo-work th-this time, I...I promise it...It will!" But his voice cracked and he didn't seem that sure of himself anymore. _There has to be another dream, there has to be..._

           "Hey." Abruptly, the rotting rabbit stopped and ever-so-gently grabbed Kenneth's shoulders, angling the Guard so that he was facing him. His grasp was non-threatening, yet firm. "This _isn't_ your job, Night Guard. Nowhere in your employment contract does it say 'free the souls of six dead children and their murderer.' If...If you can't do it, don't worry. This really has nothing to do with you; you're just an unfortunate person who got swept up in this mess."

           The pale boy's breathing steepened momentarily when he was touched, but he soon exhaled, relaxing. _Springtrap... He was right, but_... _He still..._ Slowly, Kenneth nodded. "...And i-if I can't, um...I'll st-still come b-back. F-for work...And...To s-see you guys."

           The half-animatronic rolled his eyes.

           "You just can't take a hint, can you? If you can't free us, which isn't your burden in the first place... then _you_ should be free. There's no need for _you_ to stay in this horrible place any longer than you have to; I'm sure even a wimpy guy like yourself could find a bunch of other jobs." Jovially, he released the Guard's shoulders and gave his tousled hair a slight ruffle.

           Kenneth allowed himself to meekly smile. At least Springtrap seemed to be in much better spirits. "I'll... I'll s-see if I can... Find s-somewhere else to work. You'll be okay? Without me? And--And you'll k-keep the scarf, right?"

           "Well, it _is_ my color, after all."

           That comment certainly made the boy break out into a grin. He laughed, wiping his nose, smearing away leftover tears. "Thanks, S-Springtrap. Y-You... You're really n-not so bad." He turned away, starting to walk again. "...I'm still gonna get th-that last dream, though!"

           The former murderer blinked at the sudden compliment.

           "...That's a first," he mumbled but by the expanding grin on Kenneth's face, he knew the Guard had heard. As usual, he trailed along as the boy made his way to the office, keeping a watchful eye on the shadows as they walked. Meanwhile, Kenneth rubbed his face, peeking around the corner, slowly entering the office door. Nothing was there except that box of old parts, of course. Slowly, he made his way to his chair, sitting down.

           "So...I'll t-take a nap, and, um...Y-You'll protect me. Right? L-Like usual."

           "I'll do my best." Springtrap cast a worried glance through the window. "Although the Puppet... Well, it almost... it got pretty close to you last time, so I might have to wake you up if things start to get too... crazy."

           Kenneth gulped, steeling himself up a bit. It wouldn't be so bad. It wouldn't. He curled his arms up, then rested his head on them, shutting his eyes. Springtrap leaned against the desk, creating a barrier between the Guard and the door. Of course, he knew by this point that the Marionette could come from any place there was a shadow, but at least he could protect Kenneth from the most obvious entrance.

           Slow, slow, gentle breathing. There was a small noise as Kenneth shifted, getting comfortable. One very thin finger hooked a wire poking out of the back of Springtrap's neck.

           The rotting rabbit winced as the wire was tugged, but resisted the urge to turn around. He wasn't sure what the Puppet had latched onto, but he wasn't too keen on finding out by it accidentally being broken. Quietly, he hissed: "... _Yes_?"

           "Oh, nothing. Not this time," the creature muttered, fumbling with something in its other hand. "I'm done with your talking."

           "What are you-" Springtrap's eyes widened; whatever the Marionette was doing, it certainly was _not_ good. Despite knowing that this was probably a bad idea, he attempted to swipe a hand behind him and knock the Puppet off-balance.

           The attempted attack worked; the creature _did_ teeter. But, it still got what it wanted. The wire was slit. It chuckled, slowly slinking out of the room, hands still damaged and loosely gripping a box cutter. "...Why didn't I decide to just slit the wire powering your voice box to _begin_ with? Oh, I'll never know."

           The rotting rabbit tried to call after the Marionette, desperately straining to make a sound... but to no avail. He remained totally, and utterly silent, save for the noise of the suit itself, endoskeleton straining as he reached back and tried to feel around and figure out exactly what the Puppet had touched.

           At that moment, Kenneth made a little noise, shifting again. He was dreaming, certainly, giving another small shift. Then he paled a little bit, another small sound coming from his half-open mouth.

           Of course, the clumsy hands of the suit, with no actual feeling in the fingertips weren't able to find the one, tiny wire that had taken Springtrap's speech away. Frustrated, he shook his head angrily; he would get that damn Puppet for this... Glancing at Kenneth, he noticed that the Guard looked a bit distressed. However, he was afraid to touch him and bring him out of his slumber, unsure of the potential repercussions.

           A small tremble, another noise, then silence. The boy comfortably shifted, going back into his semi-restful sleep. Then, suddenly, the swivel chair tilted off-balance with his weight, causing him to fall to the ground in a rather spectacular fashion.

           The rotting rabbit opened his mouth in a surprised exclamation, though no sound came out. Instinctively, he bent down and grasped the Guard by the underarms, lifting him to his feet in one swift movement before releasing him and taking a step back. Kenneth rubbed his head, moaning a bit. He blinked, collecting his bearings momentarily before glancing around. Almost on impulse, he gasped and jumped away at the sight of Springtrap right behind him. He stopped himself, looking down.

           "Um--Sorry. I...It...Wasn't a-a good dream. But, um, t-thanks for picking me up."

           _You looked like you needed some assistance,_ Springtrap wanted to say, trying as hard as he could to make the words come out. But, all he could manage was to let his mouth hang open in an ironic grin, his eyes revealing an emotion that he had only experienced once before in his lifetime: desperation.

           Kenneth blinked. "Um..." He wasn't all too keen on the look in the former murderer's eyes. He fumbled with his hands, coming a pace nearer. "A-Are...you alright?"

           Quickly, the rabbit shook his head. He pointed to his throat and made a slicing motion, then gestured from his mouth outwards in an attempt to silently portray his current situation to the confused Guard. The boy's head tilted even farther for a moment, completely confused.

           "Um... N-No throat? I mean... can't you t-talk, why the p-pantomime?"

           Springtrap shook his head again, trying to think of a way to explain. Suddenly, he had an idea; gesturing for the Guard to follow him, he walked down the hallway to the torn-up poster of the Puppet. He picked it up, shaking it frantically, and then turned sideways so that Kenneth could also see his back, pointing to a spot near where he presumed the slit wire was located.

           Kenneth merely gazed from the picture to the half-animatronic, still utterly stumped on what the creature was trying to say. Then, suddenly, he had a guess. To confirm his theory, he tilted his head up and peered into the back of the golden neck. "Oh! It--It sp-split a wire?"

           The man in the suit's shoulders slumped with relief and he nodded. Luckily, his silent explanation had worked.

           "Um...I--I think we still have a roll of tape--Stay right there!" Quickly, Kenneth sprinted down the hall, knocking a few things over in his haste before coming back with a roll of black electrical tape. "Hah! Okay! St-stay still!"

           The rotting rabbit bent down so that it was easier for the Guard to reach the wire, hoping that it wouldn't accidentally give him some sort of shock. Kenneth still had to lean forward a bit, breaking off a bit of tape and grabbing the wires, quickly attaching them together. "O--Okay! Um, is this right?"

           Springtrap attempted to speak, but all that came out was a disturbing crackling, static-like sound, almost like some sort of demented scream. Immediately, Kenneth let out a real scream of his own, jumping back and going as white as a sheet. Springtrap held up his hands non-threateningly, as if to say, _Sorry for scaring the crap out of you!_

           It took a moment for Kenneth to gather himself. He looked away, mumbling quick reassurances, steadying his breathing. _Geez. That was... too much._ He looked back to Springtrap, quickly putting on a smile. "I, ah, I-I know, you didn't... m-mean it. But, um. D-Does it work? I'm... n-not much of a mechanic..."

           Hesitantly, the rabbit tried to speak again. Quickly, though, he shut his mouth as the crackling screech once again tried to escape, effectively cutting off the sound before it could scare the Guard too badly. Shoulders slumping, he locked gazes with the slightly-trembling human and shook his head. Kenneth had to cover his mouth to keep from screaming again, shoulders falling as well. After a moment, his hand lowered.

           "...But--D-did I tape th-the wrong... two? I...I could try a-again, a-and..."

           Springtrap waved a hand, as if to say, _don't bother_. Losing his voice was the least of their concerns at the moment. And besides, if the Guard ever got in contact with PD, they would probably have it fixed right away. Keeping his eyes locked with the Kenneth's, he lightly tapped the boy on the temple, tilting an ear downwards questioningly. _Was the dream successful?_ he mentally asked, hoping the boy understood.

           Kenneth flinched rather violently at the touch on his head. He backed away a few steps,  looking down in shame. He swallowed. "I... I-I'm sorry, it... I had a-a dream, right, y-yes, but, I mean, it wasn't, it w-wasn't good, and... U-ugh. Sorry."

           The rotting rabbit pulled his paw back, not liking the look on the Guard's face. Yes, the frail human had always shied at his touch, and for good reason. However, recently he barely batted an eye at the close proximity. So why, then, was he suddenly reacting so violently? Something must have happened in that dream to make Kenneth afraid of him again.

           The freckled boy swallowed hard, taking another step back.

           "It... Y-You... probably want t-to hear it, and..." He didn't wait for an answer, quickly shaking his head. "O-Okay, th-these last few nights, um, I'd have dreams, and they were all like the hallucinations--Little g-games o-or something, I'unno, lucid dreaming? Well, er, see, it'd be w-with the robots and... No matter what, th-they'd always end with th-this purple sprite man d-destroying them, and, well... Didn't think m-much of it, but... then...tonight w-wasn't like that."

           The rabbit's eyes hardened. A "purple sprite man" destroying animatronics? It wasn't hard for him to figure out what _that_ imagery meant, despite how vague his current memories were... But why, and how, did the Guard know about that?

           "...But, see, t-this time, I mean..." Involuntarily, Kenneth began wringing his hands together. "Um, y'know how m-my hallucinations, there were crying kids? I was one of them this time, just... t-there. And... there w-were m-more of them, four, and... there he was, th-the purple sprite man, and he was in a p-panic... All I could do was r-run to him. And he ran back. And forth. And back and forth and forth and back and until--" Here, his breath gave a little hitch, and he looked Springtrap up and down before sharply turning away. "...I-I can't..."

           The man in the suit closed his eyes, knowing what the Guard must have seen. He recalled a night many years ago in which he himself had been trapped in a room with five children. Only, they weren't _human_ anymore. They were simply spirits, tormenting him once again for taking their lives away. It was something that the man had experienced many times before this, and he always escaped to repeat the cycle over again.

           _This time, however...Vincent hadn't been so lucky._

_The Puppet was watching from the shadows, letting the children finally exact their true revenge. The leader of the little group of ghosts had been very active that night, and managed to corner Vincent in the back room. The purple-suited Security Guard was hesitant to escape through the wall of children, so he decided to find a place to hide. Lo and behold, leaning innocently against the wall was a spring-lock Golden Bonnie costume. Quickly pulling the locks back- he was known among his employees as the go-to person to ask about how to operate these dual purpose suits-, he stepped inside and secured the suit around himself. The metal casing protected his fragile human body from whatever the kids decided to throw at him next. Unfortunately, he had not noticed the rain leaking through the ceiling. He stood up, laughing hysterically at the ghost children's fruitless plight, when, suddenly, he felt something in the suit give way. The locks snapped, and the endoskeleton reverted back to "animatronic mode," trapping him inside._

           As the memory faded, Springtrap collapsed onto the ground, shaking, his position eerily echoing the way he had looked all those years ago.

           _Oh--Oh god..._ Kenneth still remembered the little red squares moving all too well, the blood, so much pixelated blood, and--

           The sound of metal collapsing against tile caught his ear and he quickly looked over, dropping to his knees and crawling closer to the fallen rabbit. Even if he himself was shaking like a leaf, the other man was obviously in much worse shape.

           "...A-Are you okay?!" Kenneth asked quietly, but he knew the answer before the words left his mouth. Still, _why_ was the rabbit shaking like that?!  Springtrap _never_ shook! Ever! "Sp--Springtrap?"

           The memory was too much; "sensory overload," the former murderer thought with a wry, mental chuckle. He couldn't bring himself to focus on Kenneth, even though he knew the Guard was right next to him. There was just... so much blood. Blood and pain. So much _pain_ , everywhere. _Never ending, ever-lasting pain_... These words repeated over and over in his mind as the suit continued to spasm, now beginning to twitch so violently that a few of the exposed wires that Kenneth had yet to tape up were shooting off tiny sparks.

           The boy instinctively backed up again, a few sparks landing on his hands and making him yelp. Oh--Oh god, _oh god,_ was he okay?! What was he supposed to do? Kenneth didn't know, he--He--

           "I'm sorry!" He babbled out the apology without thinking. Oh, this was _his_ fault wasn't it? He shouldn't have even brought it up, now Springtrap was having a meltdown and who knew if he'd be okay...

           Slowly, ever-so-slowly, the violent twitching began to subside. Springtrap's eyes opened slightly, and he was able to catch a glimpse of the terrified Night Guard before an intense pain shot through his head, making him wince and close his eyes again. Now that the spasms had more or less died down, he expected that his mind would begin to clear as well. _Strange,_ he thought, as a dark cloud began to encompass his thoughts. The darkness wasn't scary, though; it was almost... calm. Inviting. It was like the calm that he had only felt once before, in those precious last few seconds before he-

           _Shit,_ he thought, struggling to keep his eyes open and not slip into the darkness, _am I....dying? Again? No...no, that's impossible...right? I'm... I'm_ already _dead! Nothing was fixed! The dreams were only dreams! So why... why is this memory making me..._

           The robot had stopped sparking, so Kenneth allowed himself to crawl closer. He would not, however, allow himself to _touch_ the creature just yet. It didn't seem right; too much fear was eating at him. He reached out, timidly pulling on the scarf, which made Springtrap rock a bit. "I'm--I'm sorry, I-I didn't mean to bring it up, I won't talk about it, not now, not ever, just--C-can you hear me, are you, are, are you okay? D-do you n-need me to help you st-stand?" He still couldn't talk, but, well, maybe he could nod, and maybe he wasn't... fried.

           ... _But what if he_ is?

           Kenneth chomped down on his tongue again. _No, no, no, don't think like that_! "I'll help y-you up!" Springtrap blinked, slowly; the effort of this simple action was horribly obvious to the shaking Guard.

           _At least... at least I can_ focus _on him now_ , Springtrap thought, watching the boy desperately tug on his scarf as he crawled around, with obviously no idea of what he was doing. It seemed as if the cloud in the former murderer's mind was a little better. He still couldn't move his body, but at least he could control his mind enough not to sink into the darkness completely; it did indeed appear as if his thoughts were slowly, slowly clearing. As long as he didn't focus on.... _that_.

           Kenneth grabbed both ends of the scarf and heaved, fumbling and pulling until Springtrap was put into a shaky, tall, sitting position. The boy sighed, slumping. "...Sorry." He rolled on his knees until he was sitting down, too. "Sorry I me-mentioned it. And... And s-sorry it all didn't work. And s-sorry I, I made... made you... protect me. Even though it was for n-nothing. I... I thought... It would've worked." He pulled his knees to his chest, laughing quietly. "...Guess I just looked stupid, banging on objects. I don't kn-know. Thought w-we...We really... had something."

           _Of_ course _it didn't work,_ the man in the suit thought, mentally rolling his eyes. _All that did was almost_ kill _me-_

           Suddenly, his train of thought froze. His eyes swiveled to the sniffling Guard as his mind worked furiously to put things together. Keeping the encroaching tiredness at bay as much as he could, he desperately tried to work out what exactly he was feeling.

           _Wait, maybe it isn't... "killing" me._ _Maybe... This is what I felt before the Puppet put me_ in _this thing, so... so maybe...maybe, if I let the darkness take me... Then I can... get_ out _?_

           He closed his eyes briefly, steeling himself; what did he have to lose? If it didn't work... well, then he would either remain trapped in the suit or simply be dead. _Truly_ dead. Gone for good. But...but if he was somehow _freed_ from this metal prison...what then? Would he still be roaming around the attraction, or would he be sent straight down to hell to continue his eternal torment? Keeping his gaze on the Guard, he used his last remaining strength to reach out and place a hand on Kenneth's shoulder. He would never know unless he tried.

           Kenneth looked up suddenly, eyes snapping to the hand on his shoulder. A small laugh, a small smile. He leaned forward to rub the top of the robot's head. The fur really didn't feel as bad as it looked, as long as he was careful to avoid the really rotted parts.

           "I-I guess th-that means you forgive me, huh?" His smile grew, despite himself. "And... And I mean--If you're okay, I'll s-still come back! Since we're friends, a-and all. And--And I really...I think... I t-think you've c-changed. F-For the better." He leaned back to his starting position, still grinning wide. "D-don't worry; even if you're not okay, I'll get you fixed and... p-patched up a little! Make sure you're not in pain _all_ th-the time. Right?"

           This time, Springtrap actually _did_ roll his eyes. Damn this overly-empathetic child for making this decision harder than it should be. He desperately wished that he could explain what was going on in his mind, but alas, his voice box was still broken. Rather than unnecessarily scare the Guard yet again with an attempt at talking, he decided to let the boy figure it out for himself. Kenneth was, as Springtrap had learned over these past six nights, a lot smarter than he looked.

           He locked gazes with the Guard again, hoping to convey his, possibly, final message:

           _Thank you. Thank you, you big idiot, for whatever the hell you've done to the little scrap of conscience I still had buried underneath all the anger. Nothing will change what I've done, but I hope that at least_ you'll _be spared the wrath of those poor, trapped kids._

           Kenneth merely stared back, looking utterly confused. He could tell that the rotting rabbit was trying to say something, but he couldn't fathom a guess as to what this message might be. Springtrap gave him a wide grin, gripping his shoulder tightly for a brief moment before painstakingly bringing his paw up to the Guard's head and gently ruffling his hair one last time. Then, gladly, he gave into the fog and let the darkness encompass his mind. His hand slipped back to his side, his eyes dimmed, and the golden rabbit suit slumped forward.

           The freckled boy felt an icy shot of pure dread travel up his spine. _Wait--Wait! What-_

           "...S-Springtrap?" Kenneth's voice cracked a bit, staring at the robot who'd just--

           _Darkened, dimmed, was he--What--What did_ \--

           What did he _do_?! He _broke_ him!

           Kenneth reached out, grabbing the scarf, yanking the robot closer as best he could and feeling for... Oh, he didn't even know. _Something_. A whirring of motors or a metallic creaking of joints, anything! At one point, one of his fingers slipped into a rotted-out hole to try and find something still moving, still warm with electricity, and he ended up touching the body below. He gave a screech, letting go, Springtrap crashing sideways to the ground.

           _Oh god._

           Oh god, he broke him. He dragged the robot along on his stupid adventure, and now he was broken, and what did Kenneth even have to show for it? Nothing. Absolutely _nothing._ He turned away, pulling his knees close, desperately trying to hold back another batch of tears as he quietly murmured:

           "...I s-should've quit when you t-told me to. I... I-I'm s-sorry."


	15. Chapter 14: Unfinished Business

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "'No you don't...You're not getting away that easily, my friend,' a familiar voice hissed, seeming to be everywhere at once. As he twisted his head around, frantically searching for the voice, Springtrap's legs were yanked hard once, twice, and..."

** Chapter 14: Unfinished Business **

           Darkness. There was simply...darkness.

           Nothing.

           Springtrap felt as if he was floating, and yet his feet... they were still anchored to the ground. Strange... Shouldn't he be pulled down below, to rot in a fiery pit? Or at the very least, should he not be stuck to the floor?

           And then, suddenly, there was a flash of white all around him.

           _This is it,_ he thought, looking around, strangely calm, _...This is the end. I'm just going to disappear, and... shit, I hope those kids made it. Kenneth is probably having a panic attack right now, and- what_ is _that?!_

           Just as his feet began to detach from the ground, he suddenly felt a pair of terrifyingly familiar thin, cold fingers grasp his ankles.

           "No you don't...You're not getting away _that_ easily, my friend," an equally familiar voice hissed, seeming to be everywhere at once. As he twisted his head around, frantically searching for the voice, Springtrap's legs were yanked hard once, twice, and...

           Unceremoniously, he plopped down into what appeared to be a... chair? Utterly confused, he slowly examined his new surroundings. He was expecting raging fires, sweltering heat, maniacal laughter all around... The last thing he thought he would see was the familiar "authentically weathered" walls of the Fazbear's Fright security office fading in around him.

           "...You haven't even earned your worth yet." A devious little chuckle. "What a shame."

           "What the hell...?" Springtrap muttered, and then gasped and touched a hand to his throat; he could speak again! But, wait; something was very, _very_ off. Slowly, he reached out his hand and held it in front of his face, unable to hold back the sort of choked-up, surprised laugh that escaped his lips.

           The hand that he was holding up was _human_. Well... alright, it was a bit see-through, but at least it wasn't the hand of a rotting, grotesque death trap of a half-animatronic suit. Quickly, he looked down at the rest of his body, which was currently seated in the swiveling office chair; while its transparency was extremely unnerving, this fact couldn't overwhelm the feeling of relief that spread throughout his mind. He had his old body back, and _not_ the one currently suffering from thirty years of bad mummification. It was the body he had _before_ he went into that suit- same arms, same legs, same lanky-yet-surprisingly-strong build. The ghost grinned, letting out a chuckle; he even wore the same purple uniform.

           Finally, _finally_ , the pain of the Springtrap suit was gone.

           Footsteps were coming down the hall, a reluctant sort of noise. Mumbles accompanied them.

           "J-Just grab your bag from t-the office and go home. No p-point in sticking around. Call PD and the m-morning and s-say..." _Say what?_ Kenneth mused. _That their prized robot had a meltdown and wouldn't function? He'd never believe that._ They would have to reboot the system and he wouldn't remember who Kenneth was anymore... _I should quit. Okay. Go home, call PD, tell him their prized animatronic was broken, and also, I'm quitting. Get a new job._ The Guard's fingers skimmed along the wall as he turned the corner to the office's doorway. He _did_ leave his bag in the office, right? He... He hoped he did. The boy suddenly didn't want to stay in there any longer then he had to.

           "...Okay, okay, get the b-bag, go home, call PD, tell him about- _urgh_... Q-Quit the job, find s-somewhere else!" Kenneth slowly went into the office, arms crossed, trying not to think about- _urgh_... But it was hard not to, it just happened, and this was all going so well too! _Okay, maybe it wasn't and we were sort of fooling ourselves. I just need to go home, but first I'll grab my baaaaaa..._

For several completely heart-pounding moments, Kenneth was staring at the... Person?... in his chair with an increasingly pale complexion. His mouth worked uselessly as he made a sort of hand gesture that did nothing to clear up his utter befuddlement.

           And terror. Don't forget terror.

           Springtrap's head snapped up at the sound of someone entering the office. Fearing that it might be the Marionette, he instantly tensed. However, when he saw that it was simply Kenneth, wearing his usual terrified expression, his mouth broke into a huge grin. He stood up, only half-paying attention as his legs actually went _through_ the chair instead of pushing it backwards from the motion, exclaiming loudly: " _Kenneth!"_

           Rather comically, the Guard jumped backwards, babbling nonsense. "Who--Who?--You, I--How did you--But--Oh god--" Was...was this a _ghost_?! How did he get here?! And... And... Kenneth bit his tongue again. The figure looked... well, not "familiar," per se, but... The boy's bright eyes fell on the mildly transparent uniform and the corner of his mouth flicked into something resembling a smile.

           "...Spring...Trap? Or, er, w-well, not, I mean..."

           The ghost's ethereal grin widened as he saw the realization spark in the Guard's wide eyes. "'Springtrap,' indeed... Well, we've already established that my personality has changed quite a bit, so...you can stick with that name, for now." At this statement, the ghost lightly wrapped his arms around his torso, as if giving himself a hug, still trying to process the fact that he was really back in this body. Well, "back" wasn't the correct word, for his _real_ body was still inside the rabbit animatronic; this form was simply a projection of what he used to be. But, to his great satisfaction, this current state was _certainly_ preferable.

           Kenneth barked out a strange, sort of relieved laugh, slowly coming closer. "But--But, but _how_? I--It was a failure, we, we both sort of knew it was, but, but you're here! And not-" A vague gesture towards the door, "- _there!_ I-I mean, this- Hah, you l-look great, really!"

           "Do I? I feel a little... " Springtrap held up a hand between him and the Guard. Though the outline of his fingers was clearly visible, he had no trouble seeing Kenneth's relieved expression _through_ the limb as well. "...transparent." The ghost paused, searching for a semblance of an explanation. "When you... told me about that dream of yours, my body sort of... reacted the way it had all those years ago. I knew, obviously, what you were talking about; you saw my d-"

           Kenneth's eyes were very wide, and Springtrap could hear his breathing beginning to quicken; alarmed, the ghost changed his wording.

           "-Er, the last day of my life. And when I remembered it, there was this feeling of... I can't really describe it, but it's like I was slipping into a fog, almost. It's... it's what I felt before I went to sleep for thirty years and the Puppet attached me to the Golden Bonnie suit." He gestured vaguely towards the hallway, where he assumed the suit was still laying on the floor. "I thought maybe, if I let the darkness take me, I'd either get out of that suit or just... disappear. But... I had to take a chance." Finally, he locked gazes with Kenneth and gave him a smile- a real, tangible one, not that of a demented children's character. "...I'm sorry I left you hanging; I couldn't really tell you what was happening inside my head, what with that busted voice box..."

           Kenneth let out a laugh, color slowly returning to his skin. "I--It's fine! I mean, well, I was fine, totally!" Even though he was pretty obviously lying, Springtrap chose to let the boy ramble. "I mean... I--I did it! _We_ d-did it! And you're-- You're free!" He rushed up to the specter, grinning like a complete idiot. "Which means _they're_ free too! A-And you're _all_ free! And, and it wasn't for n-nothing and--It's you! I--I can't believe--It's actually _you_! And I get t-to see you a-as a person! Hah!"

           "Who else would it be, dummy?" Springtrap asked, tilting his head and letting out a light chuckle. Then his grin slipped, his expression sobering. "I know... I know you couldn't understand what I was trying to tell you before I... passed out back there, but... it was something along the lines of... thanks." He scratched the back of his head, the gesture coming naturally now in his correct form. "You...you did it, Night Guard. Kind of. I'm still stuck to this place- obviously, or I would be _long_ gone by now, but... at least you freed the kids, it seems. Most of them. And you also..." He let out a light sigh, rolling his eyes. "Damn, this is the cheesiest thing I've ever said in my entire life, but I really can't think of a better way to put it... You also, uh... helped me regain my conscience, I guess is the best way I can put it. Or create a new one, since I seemed to lack one as a human. I mean, at the very least... I still don't feel and urge to brutally murder you, or anyone else at the moment, so... thanks again for that."

           The Guard blinked quickly, chasing away the tears threatening to fall down his face at any second. "Well, I... I don't...Y-You're welcome." A small little shrug, but his smile began to fall as well. "...But you're...s-still trapped here? And--Wait--Most of them, who'd I miss? I got a-all the cakes and if you're free th-then everyone else should be--Is there a seventh? You didn't actually mention a s-seventh..."

           "No, there's not a seventh, I'm sure." The ghost shook his head, letting out a wry sort of laugh. "The Marionette is still here, somewhere. It... I could feel myself leaving, going... who knows where, but it grabbed my legs and literally pulled me back here. I mean-" He gave a shrug. "-it's the one that attached the children and I to the animatronics, so if anyone were to pull me back it would definitely be the Puppet. _Why_  it's still here, though, I have no idea."

           "...B-But its mask fell with the others," Kenneth muttered, rubbing the back of his neck. "Shouldn't it be g-gone too? I don't..." He shook his head, sighing. "Unless it only came back to make sure you couldn't get out th-that easy. S-sure has one heck of a grudge against you. Well--Not that I don't see why, but..."

           "Hey, not that I'm necessarily happy about being stuck in this place again, but... at least I'm not trapped in that _thing_ anymore," Springtrap remarked, shivering as he remembered all too well how it felt to have near-constant, stabbing pain in some area of his decomposing body every time he moved.

           Kenneth nodded, letting himself laugh again, but it tapered off. "...The place is s'pposed to open soon." He said this softly, as though he just remembered it. "Th-the robot's dead and... I don't w-wanna make you spend your time being free, well, you know, being basically j-just a prop for an attraction! That's just mean." He folded his arms, exhaling. "Sure you c-can't leave t-the building? I'd let you stay at my p-place. Break my dishes. B-But not all of them, you promised!"

           "Seeing as how I just got out of the suit less than an hour ago, I haven't really had time to test out whether I can actually leave the building or not." The ghost raised an eyebrow, silently cheering at the fact that he could actually make facial expressions that the Guard would understand. "Should we try?"

           The boy's freckled face lit up as he quickly nodded, beckoning for the specter to follow. "And, I mean, i-if you can't--Well--I'll figure something out." Another small laugh, and he cheerfully walked out of the office's door. It was so weird, seeing Springtrap... _not_ Springtrap! Weird, but almost... completely fantastic!

           The ghost, meanwhile, took a step forward and sort of... floated off the ground. It was a strange sensation. He couldn't actually "fly-" _Of course not, that would be ridiculous_ , he thought, rolling his eyes- but his feet were definitely about two inches off of the ground, and they refused to actually touch the floor unless he specifically willed them to do so. It appeared that his new default mode of transportation was hovering. However, he quickly found that he moved a lot faster this way, and within seconds he was at Kenneth's shoulder, and then running ahead with a shout as he was able to explore the building without being dictated by a heavy, metallic suit.

           "H-hey, wait!" Kenneth looked surprised momentarily, used to Springtrap- not Springtrap? Honestly, he had to ask his name, hadn't he mentioned it once? Either way, the boy was used to the man being so much slower than him. Now, he had to pick up his pace slightly, smiling to keep up. "Come on, n-now _I'm_ the heavy slow one, M-Mister No-Body!"

           Though he was the most dead he'd ever been, Springtrap felt strangely invigorated. He chalked this up to the simple fact that he was now uninhibited by any sort of casing; his transparent body could roam anywhere and everywhere, free of restriction. He shot the Guard a grin over his shoulder and then dashed off down the hallway, surprising himself at his new-found speed. He actually made it around the entire building once before Kenneth even got to the exit door.

           Soon, the blonde-haired boy found himself waiting by the exit, smiling to himself. He was waiting for his friend to catch up. Of all things, and still a surprising oddity to him, he was waiting for Springtrap to come back. A laugh left him, eyes lighting up at the ghost reproached. _Where had he even gone off to- everywhere?!_ "H-hey, don't go leaving me behind a-all the time!"

           "Sorry," the specter apologized, as he shrugged and came to a halt in front of the door. "I haven't been able to move like that in decades, so... I'm getting out all the pent-up energy, I suppose." As if to emphasize this, he shifted from one foot to the other. The fact that his clothes made no sound when they rubbed together, nor did his shoes as he forced his feet to tap against the ground, unnerved him a bit. However, his body wasn't physically _there_ , so he didn't necessarily expect this ghostly form to behave the same way as a typical human body would.

           "We-well, I mean, yes. Th-that...Makes sense." Slowly, Kenneth turned towards the exit, gently opening the door. It was rather dark outside already, even though it was nowhere near the regular start time of his shift. The Guard walked out the door, continuing to hold it open by propping his back against it and looking back to the specter. "So, uh, l-let's see if we can get'cha out, then!"

           "Right." Taking a deep breath- which, he realized, did absolutely nothing for him except provide a false, brief sense of relief-, Springtrap stepped over the threshold of the doorway...

           ...and was immediately sent backwards with the force of running into a solid wall, though nothing obvious was in his path. He landed unceremoniously on his behind, wincing instinctively, though there wasn't actually any pain. His body _did_ partially sink through the ground at the impact, though. "...Well, shit." 

           Kenneth jumped on impulse, the door almost shutting since his back wasn't against it. He quickly reached out, grabbing the door, keeping it open. "A-a-are you okay?!" he asked quickly, then paused, sticking his arm through the doorway and waving it around a little, seeing if he could detect the ethereal barrier that blocked the former murderer's exit. "...So...You c-can't leave?"

           The ghost picked himself up and moved to the doorway again, sticking his hand out in front of him tentatively, mirroring Kenneth's gesture. As expected, it met an invisible barrier and, no matter how hard he pushed, he couldn't break through it. Shoulders slumping, he let his hand drop to his side and glanced at the Guard, giving him a tired sort of smile. "...Apparently not. I can't say I didn't expect this to happen, though. Honestly, I would be alright staying here for a while if I didn't have to deal with my 'old friend.'" He used air quotes as he said this, a dark look in his eyes. "I _know_ it's lurking around here somewhere."

           Slowly, Kenneth let the door shut behind him, shoulders falling. "I was just hoping...," he muttered, before looking up, squinting into the shadows in the hopes of seeing something. He didn't. "...It was sup-p-posed to be gone, though! I-Its mask f-fell with the others and I had to have g-g-gotten all, all of the dreams, so...It should be gone."

           "All I know is that it definitely pulled me back to this place," the ghost responded. "It could've just let me go, or even left me here alone after it pulled me back, but I have a feeling that doing that wouldn't provide enough suffering on my part to make it happy..." He shrugged, and then stretched his arms out above his head, grinning. "...After all, for the time being the Puppet has inadvertently put me in a much better situation than I've been in for thirty years, so... I'm already in a better mood. And I'm sure it won't like that."

           "As long as it doesn't come ba-back, ri-right?" Kenneth let himself smile, pushing away from the door. "M-maybe it's gone, and we don't ev-even have t-to worry! And, and we--I still have all night, we can stay together a-and figure it all out, um, you'll, you'll be outa' here before you kn-know it, I'm sure!"

           "Good luck with that. I have a feeling that I'm going to be hanging around here for quite a while." Springtrap surreptitiously glanced at the Guard out of the corner of his eye. "...You still quitting tonight?"

           The boy paused, blinking in surprise, before giving a small, sheepish laugh. "What? N-No! No! Wh-what makes you think I-I was quitting?" He forced a smile. "No, no, I mean, I--I can't leave you lonely, no matter what happens, e-even if some wire sn-snaps and the place catches fire, I'd still come back, really!"

           "If the place catches on fire, I'm pretty sure there would be nothing left for you to come back to." The ghost raised a pale eyebrow. "This thing would probably burn to the ground in a matter of minutes..."

           Another pause. Then, another very thin smile. "...Which m-means you'd have nowhere to be stuck t-to."

           Springtrap frowned. What was that smile for? Surely the scaredy-cat Guard wasn't _really_ suggesting- "...You're not implying what I think you are, right?"

           "Well...Th-the place is mean-spirit-ted anyway and..." A small chuckle. "I don't w-want you trapped here, well, um... What if... maybe, hy-hyp-pothetically, I mean... we just, um... say... it caught fire?"

           "Wow, Night Guard... I thought it was impossible for you to have a bad thought in that brain of yours, but..." The former murderer chuckled, giving the Guard a wry grin. "...I guess I was wrong about a lot of things."

           Some slight redness came onto the boy's freckled cheeks as he rubbed the back of his neck. "Well, I mean, I give you a-a conscience and... M-Maybe you make me want to- to burn down a mean-spirited b-building?"

           "...I don't think it's the best idea to start taking after _my_ thoughts. I don't have the best track record with what the world considers 'good decisions.'"

           "It's just o-one building! And--And maybe then the P-Puppet would b-be gone, too!"

           "You have a point." Springtrap stepped closer to Kenneth, smirking at the fact that he was still a few inches taller if he hovered, and attempted to ruffle his hair in a semi-friendly gesture of gratitude. However, he had forgotten the fact that he could no longer physically _touch_ anything, and so it came as a surprise to both of them when his hand suddenly went through Kenneth's head, fingers sticking out the base of the boy's skull. Springtrap quickly snatched his hand back, eyes wide. "Oh, shit... uh, s-sorry."

           The boy shivered violently, sinking down a little, suddenly rubbing his arms. _Why- Why was that- It wasn't scary, no, but it was cold. Very cold._ "Oof--I-I, no, no, it's no--I mean--No pr-problem! Heh... M-maybe, um, sorry, j-just don't d-do that? F-For now?"

           "Yeah, sorry, that was..." The ghost held up a hand in front of his face and flexed it. "I I forgot. I'm still not used to this body, or... _whatever_ this is, yet..." Gingerly, he scratched the back of his head, feeling a little guilty for already scaring the trembling Guard so badly. "Um, if you're cold... I can think of a pretty nice scarf laying somewhere around this hell-hole that would probably help a lot."

           Kenneth couldn't help but smile wide at this suggestion. It seemed as though his potentially fruitless gesture had actually made some sort of an impact. "You...You w-wanna grab th-the scarf before, um, before we... burn... it down?"

           "I mean, _I_ personally can't touch it, but... there's no point in letting it go to waste, right?" He returned the Guard's smile with a slightly smaller one of his own. The boy nodded, starting to walk back down the hall, rubbing the last of the goose bumps away.

           It'd be easy. _Easy._ Just... Lighting a building aflame! What could go wrong? A slow exhale sounded just behind the Guard's head, something shadowy brushing his shoulder, but when he looked with a small gasp nothing was there. "...I hope it works. B-burning it. I mean."

           Springtrap frowned, gazing into a shadowy corner as he trailed along, this time content to hover next to his companion. "...Me too." 

           "I... I don't wanna keep you both h-here now that e-everyone else got to go. That'd just be... wrong, I think." He sighed, letting his hand skim along the wall, across old papers. "...I-I'm sure I can lie to PD..."

           The specter frowned, slowing down significantly until he had actually stopped in the middle of the hallway. After a few seconds, Kenneth turned around and, realizing that Springtrap was no longer following him, ran back to the ghost, who was shaking his head slightly and looking at the Guard with a strange expression on his face.

           "...Wait. Just... wait. I know I'm going along with your plan, but... think about it." He shook his head a little harder, gesturing to himself. "Even if you... gave me back my conscience, or whatever... I still killed those kids. I took their lives away, and I had no reason for doing so except simply because I felt like it." Locking gazes with the confused-looking Guard, Springtrap raised an eyebrow. "...Are you _sure_ the right thing to do is to just... let me be free? Truly free, I mean; not attached to this place anymore. Because... Because..." He ran a hand through his short hair, frowning. "...I don't deserve this freedom, you know. I... I truly don't. And whatever reason your silly mind concocted to justify it is... wrong."

           The ghost was absolutely right. Part of Kenneth knew that, all too well. He was going through all this trouble just to... to help a child murderer, and that was... It was wrong, and... A little bit of shadow went onto his shoulder, as he said, slowly:

           "Well--I, I mean--We--And--I'd just--I'd feel guilty, and..." He hung his head, closing his eyes. "And, well, I don't... I c-can't leave you behind! W-wasn't that t-the goal from the start of a-all this? T-To help you be painless? So now..." The boy paused to let out a deep cough. "...I guess it's really stupid, when you put it that way. I'm kind of stupid." He turned around, posture straightening ever so slightly. "...But don't worry. I think I have this all completely figured out. We'll still be together. Just... trust me." A small laugh, surprisingly un-Kenneth-like, came from the boy's mouth. "That's what friends do, after all."

           Springtrap gazed at the Guard, tilting his head slightly, eyes narrowed. He had never heard _that_ laugh before. "...And how is that, if I may ask?"

           "I said 'trust me.' Now, let's just get my scarf back." Gently, ever so gently, the boy began walking down the hall. The ghost, however didn't move. Something... something was _very_ wrong. A hot stab of dread shot up the specter's back.

           "...'Your' scarf? I thought you specifically bought it for _me_."

           "...Well, like you said. Can't wear it now." Kenneth didn't bother waiting for Springtrap this time; he continued walking, as if on a mission. "So it's mine again, I guess."

           The former murderer's eyes narrowed. These responses were just... _wrong._ Something about the way Kenneth was talking sent another dark, unnerving tingle up his spine; however, he couldn't quite put his finger on exactly what was bothering him so much. Hesitantly, he began to drift after the Guard, wanting him to speak more. "So you're just going to take it back, then? ...Alright. And... you're still okay with burning this place down and letting me go?"

           "Heh, of course!" A small smile, the boy looking back at the ghost. "Like I said- all figured out. What, do you really think I'd just back out of an insane plan like that, even if I don't know why I bother sometimes? I thought you knew me pretty well by now!"

           "Even if your plan is 'insane,' as per usual, you're usually pretty eager to tell me what exactly your plan _is_... So, I don't- " Suddenly, the ghost froze in midair, eyes wide. It finally clicked; he knew what was wrong with the Guard's speech. "...Kenneth?"

           "Yeah?" The boy turned around with another big smile. "Something wrong, Springtrap?"

           Finally, the specter locked gazes with the supposed Guard. In that moment, Springtrap noticed just how disconcertingly empty Kenneth's usually bright, shining eyes were. In a low, dangerous voice, the former murderer said:  

           "Kenneth... you're not stuttering anymore." Before the boy could respond, he continued, gesturing vaguely. "If I was _really_ talking to Kenneth right now about burning down this place... he would barely be able to form coherent sentences." And with this, the ghost pursed his lips and crossed his arms in front of his chest, waiting for the response.

           For a moment, there was nothing more than a tense silence, broken only by a few scattered blinks. Then, Kenneth laughed slightly, shaking his head. "O-oh, if you're nervous, I--I get that, of course I am certainly nervous too! It's k-kind of a big deal. Your freedom. But that's no reason to be d-drawing attention to issues that, erm, that aren't really there. "

           "Even when you're not yourself, you're still a horrible liar." Abruptly, Springtrap moved directly in front of the Guard's face, sneering, hands clenched into fists by his sides. "...So cut the crap, Marionette. I don't want to play another one of your 'games.'"


	16. Chapter 15: Spring-trapped

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "A sudden icy, numbing chill went up the back of the ghost's spine. As soon as that lever was pushed, Springtrap knew exactly what the Puppet planned to do to the unsuspecting Guard. Quietly, his voice hoarse with a mix of raw emotions, the former murderer whispered:   
> '...Don't.'"

** Chapter 15: Spring-trapped **

           Kenneth stepped back. And then he turned around, laughing a little.

           "What makes you think I'm playing, Vincent?" he said teasingly, starting to walk again. "Playing is for children and adults who don't know when to quit. I _never_ play." 

           Springtrap winced at the use of his original name, quickly moving around to the front of the Guard. Though he was hovering backwards, he had no fear of running into anything and thought that it would be in his best interest to keep an eye on Kenneth-er, the Marionette. _Whatever_ it was deciding to call itself at the moment. All Springtrap knew was that the person he spoke to was definitely _not_ the Night Guard he had grown used to. "Then what the hell _are_ you doing, if not playing a game?"

           "Well, I'm not letting a fine establishment go up in flames." The boy's eyes rolled. "That'd just be irresponsible. Me, I'm getting his scarf. Perhaps some other things as well. All trifles, as far as you're concerned, my friend." It waved the boy's hand, frowning slightly. _"Shoo."_

           The former murderer glared as he was unceremoniously shooed away, planting himself firmly in the creature's path. "And _why_ , may I ask, did you feel the need to _possess_ him, to do this?" He tilted his head, genuinely curious. "...I didn't know you _could_ posses a human body, especially one that's... already inhabited."

           "Yes, of course, the magical Puppet that can interact with souls in their final moments and can bind spirits to bodies can't possess one measly coward. That makes sense. Aren't you smart." The Marionette's voice dripped with sarcasm. "Listen. I'm just going to get his scarf. And more importantly..." A laugh as it walked faster, able to go through the specter without so much as a shiver. "...Take a look at your suit."

           The ghost's eyes widened, and he rushed to keep up pace with the Puppet. As long as that thing was controlling Kenneth's body, Springtrap no longer spoke to the Guard. It was only the Puppet; _always_ the Puppet. "Why are you so concerned with that stupid scarf?! And... _what_ about my suit?" He frowned. "No, it's not _my_ suit; I'm done with that thing. Also-" The ghost once again floated in front of the Marionette, simply to get its attention, knowing that he couldn't actually form a physical barrier. "-why, exactly, do you need to possess the Guard to do this? You can obviously touch things _without_ needing a body."

           The Guard's cold eyes glared at the ghost as the human body exhaled sharply.

           "I distinctly liked you better when you couldn't speak," it grumbled, picking up the pace as it turned a corner. "This is none of your concern. Why do you even care? I have my own things to attend to, and I'm sure you have yours. I'm borrowing Kenneth and we're going."

           "No, _no_ , you're not 'borrowing' him without giving me a reason." Crossing his arms firmly, Springtrap sped up as well, hovering back and forth in front of the Puppet to annoy it as much as possible. "What things do you think _I_ have to 'attend to?' The only potential concern of mine is burning down this hell-hole, which I need the help of _him_ -" He pointed to the Guard's body, unnerved at the increasingly angry expression spreading across the boy's usually kind face. "-to accomplish. So..." Suddenly, he stopped directly in front of the Marionette, actually managing to surprise it enough that it stumbled back as he hissed: "Get out of his body and go do your frivolous task by _yourself_."

           The creature's eyelids lowered. But, it forced itself to keep walking forward. _Don't speak; go right through the ghost._ It wasn't much farther to the next room, the slumped and dark suit, the scarf still around its neck. The Puppet removed the accessory, tossing it aside. And then it began to screw off the suit's head, using Kenneth's fingers to pick and sever wires that could impede such things.

           "Hey!" Instinctively, Springtrap shoved the shoulder of the Guard to get his attention, but of course it did absolutely nothing but send the ghost pitching forward through the body. Clenching his teeth in frustration, he settled on standing next to the Puppet, watching its movements with barely-contained frustration. "What are you _doing_?"

           The head did, eventually, come off with one more hard yank. "Don't you worry. It's nothing to be scared of." The corpse's head lolled forward from inside the suit, and "Kenneth" turned the head over, feeling around the neck line. A small lever was pushed, moving the beams back into the "wearable" functionality. "I have it all under control."

           A sudden icy, numbing chill went up the back of the ghost's spine. As soon as that lever was pushed, Springtrap knew exactly what the Puppet planned to do to the unsuspecting Guard. It was... It was _horrible_. The mere thought brought back the sharp memory of excruciating pain that Springtrap felt the last time he, as a human, had interacted with this suit. This sudden realization was almost too much; the specter began to tremble slightly, an action which he never thought this ethereal body would be doing. Quietly, his voice hoarse with a mix of raw emotions, the former murderer whispered:

           _"...Don't."_

           "Or _what_?" A mischievous little laugh. "My friend, I can't let you go. What sort of guardian would I be to them, then? And you were so, _so_ dreadfully close to murdering him, but... Nothing. You should have listened to me. I am, after all, always right." Gently, the creature traced a finger around the neck hole of the rabbit suit, smiling. "Don't worry. I'll be sure to bind him to this piece of trash and your old body as well. _Someone_ has to run the robot if this place is going to open." It flipped the head right-side-up, and gently, ever so gently, always so gently, put it right atop Kenneth's. Quietly, it added: "You just try to stop me."

           "Shit, _shit_...!" Springtrap mumbled curse after curse, frantically thinking of what he could do. If he were only able to _touch_ things, then he could snatch the head away, but... he was powerless. Utterly powerless. The shaking in his ethereal body increased to a constant, violent trembling, bringing him to his knees as he stared helplessly up at the Guard. Though he knew it was useless, he tried to grab onto the boy's leg, hoping that maybe, by some miracle, he could grab onto the Puppet's soul and pull it out. However, all his hand met was the air on the other side of the leg. Snatching his arm back, he locked gazes with the possessed Guard, finally losing his composure completely.

           "Y-You...You _bastard_! Shit... Kenneth!" He knew this wouldn't work; wherever the boy's mind was, he obviously wasn't able to respond. However, this was the last chance for both of them. Maybe, _maybe,_ if Springtrap yelled loud enough...  

           " _Kenneth!_ If you're in there, _come back, you idiot_! You're going to _die_! _You're going to die just like I did! Come back!"_

           A hand slowly began to rise up towards the lock on the back of the mask as the Puppet responded in a cold, emotionless voice: "...Like I said. He's nothing more than an idiotic child." The hand moved behind the head to flick the switch but it-

           It-

           The hand tensed, hesitating.

           His- Everything felt- _Foggy_ , and Kenneth's head hurt, and-

           A small moan, the hand still being forced to feel around the rim for the lever. "That's it, Kenneth. _Sleep_ , Kenneth. Don't you listen to that _murderer._ Where's that lever, Kenneth?"

           "Kenneth, _don't!"_ Springtrap exclaimed, sensing a small, small glimmer of hope. The Guard had responded, just for a brief second. The boy was still in there, somewhere. If he could just escape the Puppet's control, then- "Kenneth, listen to me. Listen. The voice in your head is trying to _kill_ you; don't give in to it. Don't. Just... just _resist._ You're still... you still have a _long_ life to live, and I told you that I wouldn't let anything happen to you. And I've... I've done all I can, but...you have to help me one more time. Help me help _you_ ; don't listen to that voice! Do _not_ pull that lever!"

           Still shaking, the specter managed to get to his feet so that he was eye-level with the Guard, staring into his eyes. They were dull, clouded, but... there was a spark of _something_ behind them. Whether this was the Puppet's influence or not, Springtrap wasn't sure; he hoped more than anything that Kenneth would be able to break free. A little softer, surprising himself with his tone, he pleaded, "...Please. _Please,_ come back to reality, Night Guard. Wherever you are, just... resist. _Come back."_

           Another tremble. Was Kenneth's hand shaking? It was. It was certainly trembling. "... _Urgh..._ " A low moan escaped the boy's throat, coupled with a hitch in his breath. His hand was still moving towards the lever, but- slower.

           "Where..." _Go to bed, go to sleep_ , _I_... "'S just a kid..." Something seemed to gently move, a shadowy shape coiling around the costume head. "...B-burn it...Sp-Sp-Spring--Trap? Where are-?"

           "Here! I'm right here!" Springtrap exclaimed. Though he knew his touch would do nothing to stop the Guard, it might, at the very least, make him aware of his presence. Cautiously, so, _so_ cautiously, he placed a gentle hand on Kenneth's shoulder, resting it perfectly so that it touched the boy without actually going through him. Softly, he said, "I'm right here. This is real. _I'm_ real; the voice in your head is... it's _not._ Don't believe it. Don't believe anything it tells you. _Please,_ Kenneth... Put your hand down and open your eyes."

           Kenneth's finger was pressed against- Something? And there was this... Gentle lull, gentle coaxing, telling him to rest. But, there was also a contrasting coldness on his shoulder that was drawing him to reality and...And...

           _Open my--!_

           From inside the costume head, Kenneth's eyes gently blinked open, and he had to chomp very hard down on his lower lip to keep from gasping, from screaming, from panic. His eyes instantly shut again.

           Years of fitting people into the Golden Bonnie suit gave Springtrap the advantage of being able to see whether their real eyes were perfectly centered with the rabbit's; immediately, he could tell when the boy opened his own eyes within the suit. Springtrap gulped and tried to keep his nerves calm, his hand still resting firmly on the Guard's shoulder. Kenneth was awake, but not out of danger. Until that rabbit head was off, the Puppet was gone, and he was _far_ away from that suit, the Guard wouldn't be safe. Trying to keep his tone calm so as not to unnerve the boy any further- Kenneth was beginning to shake, and Springtrap knew all too well how sensitive those locks could be-, he tried to coax him.

           "Kenneth, I know you're awake. It's... It's okay; it'll be okay, just... you _have_ to resist. Don't listen to that voice; listen to _me._ Okay? Can you understand me? U-um... mumble 'yes' if you can, just... just do not move _anything_ else."

           The boy gave a small whine. He almost began to nod, but- "Y-yes," he managed to mutter out. It was taking every ounce of strength to mentally push against the other force that wanted his hand to move so desperately, and he had to stop shaking, but... how _could_ he stop? Another whine. "Wh--What am I s'p-posed t-t-to...?"

           "Okay, just..." Springtrap took a deep breath, steadying himself; it would do the Guard absolutely no good if the ghost couldn't keep himself together enough to help. "First, you have to move your hand away from that lever. I know... I know it'll be hard; the voice in your head will be telling you the opposite, but whatever you do, do _not_ press down. Just, slowly move your hand to the outside of the mask. Can you... can you do it, or do you...? I know you can at least feel the cold when I'm touching you, so I could... guide your hand, if you can't move it yourself." The specter didn't want to have to resort to this option, afraid that one wrong move on his part would freak the Guard out and make him spasm, but... if Kenneth couldn't handle it, this was the only way Springtrap would be able to physically help him.

           "Mmmmph-" All of Kenneth's fingers on both hands substantially tensed up, and his breathing seemed a little harder. Another small tremble, another teeny whine- Millimeters at a time, his pinky finger slipped away, off the lever, even though almost half his body was fighting otherwise. Everything ached. _Don't move to fast, going to slow_ \- He forced his finger to the outside, and then moved to the next one. _Oh god oh god oh god--_  

           As gently as he could, Springtrap squeezed Kenneth's shoulder just enough to reassure him that _yes_ , he was still there and _yes_ , everything would be okay. "Good. You're... you're doing good. I-I'm sorry-" Quickly, the ghost shook his head; it wasn't the time for that. Apologies could come later, once he made sure the Guard was safe and alive. "You're doing fine. Almost there. When you get that hand to the right place, try and bring your other hand up to the outside of the mask as well. Go as slow as you need to, just... be careful. You're... you're doing fine."

           Everything was so heavy, so sluggish, something wanted one thing and the cold hand on his shoulder wanted something else- Kenneth's hands were inching ever so slowly, _breathe slowly,_ mumble something out- "I know you're stuck too, Mari, I'll help-" A dark, tiny laugh, one hand on one side of the costume head pushing it slightly, scratching his cheek on old metal. A whimper, the boy's other hand awkwardly reaching and counterbalancing.

           "Don't listen to the Marionette!" the specter hissed, breathing began to quicken, despite his best attempts to keep it steady. The Puppet was getting mad. _Very_ mad. Bad things happened when it got mad; Springtrap could see the black tendrils wrapping around the rabbit head, whipping back and forth violently. "Kenneth, just listen to _my_ voice; you know how it sounds. Ignore anything else. Just keep moving your hands and ignore the Marionette's pushing; you're in control. So close; you're so close, and then you'll be okay."

           The Guard almost screamed. Almost. Luckily, he managed to bite down on his tongue. A tendril went over one of the eye sockets, holding one of his hands still. _I have to push the other into- Into place- So easy to give in..._

           "-Years--Decades--Without slumbering, t-tick, tock, t-t-tick, tock-" This voice distinctly belonged to the vengeful spirit, and caused Springtrap to wince as it suddenly escaped the Guard's mouth. Kenneth's other hand moved into place, both of them now on either side of the costume head.

           _I'm dead I'm dead I'm_ so _going to die-_

           "Kenneth... Kenneth, you're okay," Springtrap said, reassuringly. The boy was _so_ close; so, so close. But, while the Marionette was definitely losing energy, so was the Guard. He just needed to hold on for a little bit longer. "Okay, now, be very careful... Gently, lift the mask up and off your head. Carefully. It might scratch you, but ignore it. Just... slowly, take it off." The ghost took a deep, unnecessary breath, hand still placed securely on the Guard's shoulder. He refused to let go until that mask was on the floor, no matter what happened. Kenneth needed the reassurance of his presence... and so did Springtrap himself. "You'll be okay. Ignore the Marionette. Listen to me. Slowly, take off the mask, Kenneth."

           _Take off the mask? But how could I when something wants to keep it on, wants me to flick the lever, wants me to just die, and would it be easier to die than to keep fighting, I don't know, I just want my body back!_

           Metal was already snagging against skin as the boy pushed the costume head up, up, hands starting to shake, the tendrils fighting to push it down-

           He managed to lift it up just past his mouth. He let himself breathe, steadying for a little longer, although he just wanted to sleep...

           "Good, you're doing fine. You're okay." Springtrap repeated these words like a mantra. Kenneth had the mask past his mouth, but those tendrils...those tendrils were a huge problem. The ghost's brow creased momentarily. He couldn't touch a physical body, but now that the dark shapes were exposed, maybe... Cautiously, ever-aware of the Guard's fragile state, he reached up above the mask, grasping at the tendrils... and felt the sensation of actually _grabbing_ them. Allowing himself only a split-second of relief, he gripped them, hard; since these tendrils weren't from the "physical" realm, just like him, Springtrap was actually able to hold onto them. However, he knew that this would only serve to anger the Puppet further. He could hold it back physically now, but he still had no control of it mentally.

           "Kenneth, I can help you a little more. You...you shouldn't feel as much physical resistance pushing down, but you _have_ to move a little faster. The Marionette might try to... influence you again. Stay strong, and finish taking off the mask; just a little more, and you'll be free." He noticed that the boy was resisting the urge to tremble as much as he could. Taking another deep breath and, shaking his head in disbelief at what he was about to say, Springtrap quietly muttered, "...Trust me. Please... _please_ trust me. You'll be okay."

           The tendrils immediately began working to push the foreign body away, to make the ghost stop holding onto them and to make sure there were no more distractions. This, inadvertently, was very useful for Kenneth. He forced the mask further up, past his nose, though there were so many new nicks and cuts-

           _Have to move faster, have to, have to_ -

           The mask was past his eyes.

           "It's just a child--I know--It's stuck--I'll help--" the boy mumbled, more to himself than anyone else.

           And then, suddenly, the costume piece was off, and Kenneth's eyes opened up again, and he was holding the rabbit head inches above his own. He dropped it to the side, and the sound of metal and fake fur coating meeting tile was so loud the tendrils backed off.

           Instantly, a wave of relief washed over Springtrap, the force of it so tremendous that he fell to his knees, inadvertently letting his hand slip through the Guard's body as he did so. Neither of them seemed to notice. The nervous tremors that the ghost had desperately tried to hold back finally took over his body, and he wrapped his arms around himself to try and calm down. He glanced at the discarded animatronic head and then up at the Guard, a shaky smile tugging up the corners of his lips.

           It was okay; Kenneth was okay. He didn't have to suffer the same fate as Springtrap had. He had made it out alive; traumatized, but alive.

           The Night Guard was okay.


	17. Chapter 16: Revelations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "To the ghost's surprise, Kenneth laughed. 'S-see, and--And you saved me! And you're s-so sc-scared of losing me, w-which is why you're upset, and...You really saved me. S-see, that's why you d-deserve to go! And--And that's why--' He blinked and his own pooling tears began rolling down his cheeks. 'I'm gonna he-help you, but I'm r-really gonna m-miss you once you're gone.'"

** Chapter 16: Revelations **

           The tendrils were gone into the shadows, somewhere else. Planning something? Who could say? Kenneth was shaking, too, from the chill of the ghost going through him and the horror of what had just happened, the loss of control and... He let out a whimper, but his focus was back on the specter. The ghost was shaking. Tentatively, the boy scooted up closer, murmuring:

           "A-are, are you--Sorry--D-don't, don't shake, it's me, and--And I'm alive! A-alive, I...I am."

           Through the tremors, Springtrap managed to roll his eyes and say, wryly, teeth clenched: " _S-Such_ an idiot... Don't try to comfort me, you're... _you're_ the one who almost..."

           A tiny, tiny smile lit up the boy's face. "But I didn't." Kenneth then paused to crawl closer, blinking in earnest. "Um, re-remember, when, when you said you don't d-deserve freedom? Well--You do. And--And that's, see, that's why."

           Slowly, the tremors died down and the former murderer was able to stop shaking. He still held his arms around himself, however, unable to fully relax. He frowned at the Guard, confused. "What are you...talking about? I... I _don't_ deserve it; I killed all of those kids..."

           "Bu-but... You s-saved me. Again." Another little smile, and Kenneth moved right next to Springtrap. "And, um, it--It would have b-been really e-easy to let me go, and y-you weren't even, even the one, um, doing it, but you still saved me, and--And you still fought--And--That's why."

           "I still don't-" Suddenly, Springtrap felt something icy dripping down his cheek. Instantly, he scrambled backwards, letting out an uncharacteristic yelp and frantically looking at the ceiling; it must be leaking! The ceiling was leaking, and they were so close to that temperamental suit; what if, somehow, the locks snapped and _did_ manage to hurt the Guard, after all their effort?! They had to get out of there, had to _run,_ had to _-_

           ...Abruptly, the ghost's train of thought was cut off as he realized that the ceiling was, in fact, in perfect condition, albeit a bit dirty-looking. Of course, he realized with a mildly embarrassed sigh, being a spirit unable to touch anything from the physical realm meant that he probably wouldn't be able to feel water on his "skin" anyway.  Slowly, he raised a confused hand to his cheek and touched the cold line, now running from his eye to the bottom of his chin, wiping it off and looking at his fingers to try and identify it. This substance was unfamiliar. It wasn't necessarily "wet," as originally thought, just... cold. Icy cold. His gaze moved back to Kenneth questioningly, holding his hand out as if the boy could provide an answer as to where this mysterious liquid came from. "What... What the hell _is_ it?"

           Kenneth couldn't help it. After everything, he let himself laugh. He nudged closer, grinning with both relief and utter amazement. He could feel his own eyes well with tears. He felt so pleased, looking at Springtrap. This wasn't some cold-hearted snarky robot anymore, this was... was a friend. Softly, he answered, "Those are t-tears, and th-they come out of your eyes sometimes, like, like when you're sad, or happy, or really emotional."

           "I'm aware of what 'tears' are, Night Guard, thank you _ever_ so much," Springtrap snapped, instinctively reverting to "defensive" mode. He didn't like this revelation- the relief he could deal with, but the ethereal tears were pushing the limits of his newly-expanded emotional capacity. Still, gazing at Kenneth, who wore the biggest smile that Springtrap had ever seen on anyone over the age of ten, he couldn't resist the slight tug on the corners of his own mouth. "...What are _you_ grinning at? I thought that you'd be shaking or... well, if anyone was crying, it should be _you_ , after that ordeal..."

           "You're crying!" To the ghost's surprise, Kenneth laughed. "S-see, and--And you saved me! And you're s-so sc-scared of losing me, w-which is why you're upset, and...You really saved me. S-see, that's why you d-deserve to go! And--And that's why--" He blinked and his own pooling tears began rolling down his cheeks. "I'm gonna he-help you, but I'm r-really gonna m-miss you once you're gone."

           At first, Springtrap could not find the words appropriate enough for a response. Instead, a mildly alarming surge of emotion took over, sending a few more oddly cold "tears" running down his face. He had never felt like this before, never wished for someone to stay _alive_ this fervently, never cared about anyone enough to consider them as a... " _friend."_ He had only tolerated people, mentally daydreaming about the best way to permanently remove the most annoying humans from his life. Obviously, this was the sign of a disturbed mental state that no one caught before it was too late; the whining, crying children inhabiting Fazbear's Pizzeria were the final straw, and he had finally acted on his dark impulses. But even then, when the children screamed and begged for him to let them go... he did not shed a single tear.

           And now, the simple fact that the idiot in front of him was bawling his eyes out after having just recovered from a very real near-death experience, served as a metaphysical sledgehammer strong enough to crack the emotional wall Springtrap had been trapped behind his entire adult life. He scrunched his knees up to his chest and buried his face in them, ironically acting much like one of the children he so despised. Though his voice was muffled, he managed to say, "... _Damn it_ , Night Guard; you're too nice to me." 

           Kenneth's eyes widened. _Was the ghost actually-_ He was _still_ crying! Springtrap _never_ cried, but... there was the ghost, curled into a ball and obviously very unsure of what he was meant to do at the present time. Kenneth smiled, even though tears were still streaming down his own cheeks.

           _This...Ah, geez, Springtrap..._

A small laugh, and the boy reached up to wipe his eyes. "I--I kn-know! I know, a-and I almost, almost died b-because of it and, and... That's wh-why I'm gonna miss you!" He sniffed hard, rubbing his eyes, trying to get some of the redness out. "...You'll c-come back and visit som-sometimes, right, if, if you--If you can?"

           "If I go..." Finally, the ghost lifted his head up, furiously wiping his own tears away before meeting the Guard's gaze. "If I go, and I mean _really_ go... I don't think I'll be _able_ to come back."

           Springtrap was probably right. Kenneth sighed, shoulders falling a little, but he still kept the smile on his face. "...Th-that's okay. You...You just ha-have fun, alright? Be... Be good." 

           This absurd statement was too much for the specter to handle. Startling Kenneth with the sheer surprise of it, Springtrap began to laugh, a hearty chuckle echoing throughout the empty hallway. "'Be good.' You're...you're telling _me,_ of all heartless creatures, to 'be good!' Haha!"

           This reaction kind of confused Kenneth, and he tilted his head to the side. "...W-well, I mean... You _can_ ; you p-proved that a-a few minutes ago _._ And... I think you _s-should._ 'Cause it... I'unno. It got you th-this far."

           "Yeah, I... suppose you're right." Springtrap let out a small sigh, looking around, his brow furrowed slightly. "We should probably get a move on; a certain someone is _not_ going to be happy about whatever the hell just happened here, and I'm not too keen on sitting around waiting for it to show up."

           "O-Oh, yeah..." For a blissful moment, all thoughts of haunted animatronics, former murderers, and vengeful spirits had left Kenneth's mind. Now, the realization of where he was came crashing back down. Subconsciously, his gaze shifted towards the Golden Bonnie suit, and he nearly gagged at the sight of the mummified head lolling out of the neck. Quickly, he turned away, sucking in a staggered breath.

_It's alright, Kenneth, that's not Springtrap anymore, he's- He's right in front of you, and he's much easier to talk to as a ghost..._ The boy gave a small gasp, standing up.

           "Hey, m-maybe...," he trailed off,  and the ghost raised an eyebrow as if floated off of the ground as well. "Maybe you g-got your memories back, from, from when you w-were a robot!"

           Springtrap looked up at the ceiling- no, not a good place to look, it made him nervous. Instead, he looked down at the ground, thinking hard. Maybe, if he concentrated hard enough... He could see vague faces, hear hazy voices.

           _Children screaming, there were always children screaming... and then, one particular child, louder than all the rest... He obviously didn't want to be there, but his parents insisted, and so there he was, crying and screaming, screaming and crying..._

           Springtrap blinked, and the memory faded. That was definitely a fragment of recollection, but it wasn't necessarily one that he wanted. In a low voice, he said: "I think you might be right. I just... remembered something. It wasn't clear, but... hey, I didn't expect it all to come back at once, if at all."

           The Guard nodded quickly, leaning in close. "Good! Good, I-I really didn't want you to still b-be losing all your memories, th-that wouldn't be any good at all, no!" A pause, then, "...S-so, um, may I ask, w-what was it?" 

           The ghost's eyes snapped to the Kenneth's, a sad smile flittering across his lips. "...It was about one of the children."

           This wasn't quite what Kenneth wanted to hear. He swallowed, rubbing the back of his neck, almost seeming to brace himself. "A-and?"

           "Don't worry, it didn't get very graphic. Although, I don't think I really _need_ my memories to figure out _those_ details..." He saw the Guard's eyes beginning to widen, and knew that it was time to back off of the "death" topic. "I just remembered being at my job, hearing all the kids screaming and crying incessantly. It was just constant, annoying noise... and there was this one kid who was so, _so_ unhappy to be there. Maybe he was scared of the animatronics or something; I don't know. I just remember that he was the loudest kid I've ever heard, and then the memory just sort of... stopped."

           "...Huh." That wasn't as bad as Kenneth thought it would be, actually. But he still shifted a little, exhaling. "Um--H-hopefully, th-the rest, it'll come back. Soon. Before I-" He waved a hand absently in the air. "-Y'know."

           "...Yeah." Springtrap looked around the hallway, his eyes once again falling on the discarded suit and then traveling up to the Guard. Frowning, he noticed that Kenneth had a plethora of nicks and cuts all over his face, presumably from the mask. Though most of them looked okay, there were a few that, at the very least, seemed like they should be washed out with water. "Uh, hey, you might want to go take a look at your face and wash all the blood off. Don't freak out, it's not as bad as it looks, it's just...well, you'd probably feel better, anyway."

           Tentatively, Kenneth reached his hands up, dabbing at his cuts. He winced. _Oof, ow_. "Um, m-maybe you're right...You w-wanna come with, or d-did you plan on staying here? I mean, I, I have to find wh-where they keep th-the band-aids..."

           The specter gave the boy a look as if he were addressing a small child who didn't understand something very, very obvious. "I'm not leaving your side, idiot. The second I let you wander off on your own, you're going to get in some sort of trouble- probably not of your own volition, but that last experience was a little too tense for both of us. And besides..." He smirked. "...I'm sure a scaredy-cat like you would _hate_ to be left alone, right?"

           Kenneth laughed. "S-sometimes y-you need someone st-stronger to, to keep you safe, y'know?" With a grin, he turned to walk down the hall, clasping his hands behind his back. "As--As long as it doesn't po-po-possess me again, right?"

           Though this was an off-hand comment, Springtrap's eyes darkened. He floated up next to the Guard, keeping a watchful eye on him, his expression hard. "...You realize that it may actually try to do that again, right? You have to be careful. I have absolutely no idea where it is right now... It's as if the less physically connected I am to this world- being in this form as opposed to being stuck in the suit, I mean-, the less I'm aware of the Puppet's presence... I don't like it."

           "...It's pr-probably just stuck here too." Meekly, the freckled-boy gave a little smile. "I mean, y-you said it was a kid! So, I mean, stands to.... to reason... that, maybe i-it's just trapped, and it's mad I'm n-not helping it, and instead I'm he-helping...Its killer."

           "I suppose that's a valid reason for it hating you." Springtrap nodded slightly, debating whether he should tell the guard the _real_ reason the Marionette was so intent on ending his life. After musing on this thought for a few seconds, he realized that he had nothing left to lose. Also, it would probably be in the Guard's best interest to have as much insight into the Puppet's mind as he could, should it try to attack again.

           "There's another reason it's after you, you know. It relates to _me_ , of course, but...well, it's a little different from what you suggested."

           Slowly, Kenneth paused mid-stride, looking back to the ghost. "Wh-what do you mean?"

           The specter paused as well, gesturing vaguely as he thought of the best way to word this. "Well... yes, it probably resents you for choosing to help a murderer over an innocent kid, but right now, its existence in this world is solely based on a hell-bent desire to see _me_ suffer. And since you're the only one who I've been... 'protecting,' then... the Puppet figures that the worst thing it could do to me is to kill _you."_ He stared at the ground, ashamed that the silly, innocent boy had been caught up in this mess; he didn't deserve it. He _really_ didn't. He deserved nothing but a big, fat raise and a happy release from this demented prison of a theme park attraction.

           Kenneth's mouth went into a frown as he softly bit his thumbnail. "You--It would hurt m-me just to... To make you crack?" He sighed a little, shifting on his feet. That really didn't make anything better. He swallowed, lowering his hand. "I'll, I'll, um, I'll be careful. And m-make sure...Be-before I die...I li-light this place on fire. Okay? P-Promise."

           "Whoa, whoa- _excuse_ me?!" Springtrap floated around to the front of the Guard, abruptly planting himself in his path and making Kenneth stumble backwards a little. The ghost crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow. "'Before you _die_?' After all that effort we just went through, do you really think I'm going to let you die because of some stupid spirit, just like that? _Seriously?_ I thought you trusted me a _little_ more than that, Night Guard..."

           "No, no!" Kenneth waved his arms, giving a small, timid laugh. "If it g-gets that bad! I trust you, I tr-trust you with my life, but, y'know, if it gets to that point, and really I--I can't help but be, be a--Just a little nervous..."

           "...You have a point. But, don't dwell on that now." The ghost floated out of the way, uncrossing his arms and relaxing ever-so-slightly. "Let's just...well, _you_ should get your face cleaned off."

           Kenneth gave a little nod, resuming his pace, looking around the wall. "Um, th-there's an employee's only r-room, and I think it's..." His fingers trailed along the wall until he managed to push on a door, hidden behind some random decor and more child's drawings. "Here's the ba-bathroom!" He smiled, beckoning as he went in and flicked on the light, which cast the room in a greenish tint the entire place seemed to always have.

           The greenish glow of the lighting was slightly unpleasant, even for the former murderer, but at least he was free to roam around as he chose and could move away from the light if he so desired. After debating where to settle, he decided to lightly perch on the counter next to the sink, legs dangling off and palms resting slightly behind him against the tile. He leaned back casually as Kenneth flipped on the sink and rubbed water over his face.

_It's a sort of nice chill, actually,_ the boy thought, pushing a stray bit of blonde hair out of the way. _A good distraction from the--_ He shook just thinking about what could have become of him. Leftover blood trickled into the sink, and gently Kenneth got some paper towels and wiped his face off. "...I-I don't unders-stand how anyone c-could have thought those th-things were safe to, to begin with."

           "Hey, it was the eighties," Springtrap responded, staring blankly at the open stall in front of him. If he had indeed spent thirty years asleep inside that suit, then it must be... "Damn, it's... it's two-thousand something, isn't it?" He blinked, trying to process this revelation; he hadn't given it much thought before, but a lot of things must have surely changed since his nap. Actually, now that he thought about it seriously, that thing on Kenneth's desk- a "tablet," he had called it- seemed a bit strange. And... didn't the Marionette snap something of Kenneth's in half a while ago? Like the "tablet," but smaller- his phone, probably. Springtrap wasn't sure. He shook his head slightly, mentally reeling from the new-found culture shock.

           "Twenty-seventeen," Kenneth responded. Another little dab on the face, and he looked back to Springtrap, blinking. "...We-were you really out for th-that long? Oh, dear. Well, I, I mean-- I, I'm sure some things are the same." A pause, and then, warmly, "We still ha-have the same sky! It's, it's not a fake one. I don't know what th-the predictions for the future you had were, but the sky is still real."

           The former murderer couldn't help but chuckle slightly. He should have expected such a child-like answer from the Guard. "I didn't think the sky was gone, don't worry. And I'm sure not _everything_ has changed, just... a lot. Like that phone you had that the Marionette broke the other night. Uh, sorry about that, by the way- it looked expensive..." He offered an apologetic smile.

           "I-I just to-told Mallory that, um, it fell out of my pocket and I cl-closed my car door on it." Kenneth gave a smile back, leaning against the sink. "So, um, she understood...I-I'll get a-a new one at some point, I'm sure."

           This new name piqued the ghost's interest; at this point in his re-awakening, he was undoubtedly tired of hearing nothing but "Springtrap," "Night Guard," and "Puppet." The specter tilted his head questioningly and leaned forward. "'Mallory?'"  

           Kenneth's eyes instantly brightened. "Sh-she's my girlfriend!" He couldn't help but break out into a large, wistful grin. "Sh-she's, she's a lot braver then me, and she likes cr-creepy stuff, and ghosts, but she's busy with he-her own stuff and sh-she wanted me to work here, um, hoping I-I could get a souvenir for her. I-I love her."

           Springtrap echoed the Guard's happy smile for a moment, before his face fell. Locking gazes with the boy, his eyes darkened. "So you have someone that you care about, that you _love_ , waiting for you to come home every morning... and yet you keep risking your life by coming back here? I... I don't understand..." His expression shifted slightly, now a combination of anger at the boy's idiocy and a genuine lack of comprehension.

           _Why would he risk it?_ He surely had a family that loved him as well. He probably called his mother every night just to chat about his day- an abbreviated version, surely, but he definitely talked to her nonetheless. _So then...why?_  

           Kenneth looked back to the ghost, letting out a sigh. "...I...I was th-thinking about quitting on the first night, disappointing PD, but... Th-then _you_! Then you, um, you started ta-talking, and you were mad and hurting and...Yeah, okay! It--It was re-really scary! You, you did bad things but...But _n-nobody_ deserves to always walk around and be poked with sharp metal and treated like a... Like a prop." His voice went a tad bit softer. "So I... came back. St-started having my... dreams, too. I k-knew they were important, I-I knew there was something else going on, 'specially w-when I learned the kids were s-still here, and...I wanted t-to help."

           Springtrap shook his head, an unsurprised smile on his face in response to the  typical Kenneth answer. Lightly, he mimicked ruffling the boy's hair, making sure not to let his hand actually go through his body. "I know I've told you this many times before, but you're the biggest idiot I've ever met. Still... I guess some people would find that selfless personality of yours endearing."

           The boy ran a hand through his hair, just in case there was another chill. "Well...Y'know. I-I think it's helped me. I've got a girlfriend. And..." He looked back to the ghost. "A r-really great n-new friend, too."

           "Good god, Night Guard, you're _so_ cheesy..." Springtrap rolled his eyes and then briefly turned his head away to hide the small smile playing at the edges of his mouth. After a moment, he glanced back, one eyebrow raised. "So, this... _Mallory._ You say _she's_ the one that wanted you to take this job? Does she know you at _all?"_

           "Oh, yeah!" A few nods, and his eyes drifted off in thought. "I-I mean, well, she didn't know there was a magic Marionette th-that wanted me dead and a former child murderer in a robot suit! I...I th-think she thought the place was a lot more, more tacky, y'know? But...She liked the myths. Haunted r-robots. Her cuppa' tea."

           "...Have you actually told her about all of this? What's really going on, I mean?"

           Kenneth rubbed the back of his neck, eyes going to the floor. "N-no, of, of course not. Haven't...Told anyone. S-sometimes I'd t-tell her I had bad, bad dreams, but... Y'know, I can't te-tell her, I mean, or PD, nobody c-can...Know about this...Sort of thing." 

           "Smart move; I doubt anyone would believe you, anyway... Well-" The ghost glanced down at his transparent body, realizing at that moment just how much he disliked the dirty-looking decor of the countertop that could be seen through his legs. "-unless they met _me_ ; then they might have second thoughts. Or just think they're also crazy; that's a possibility.

           "...Sorry for scaring the crap out of you earlier this week, by the way; I mean, I assume you know that I am, but I don't think I formally apologized. And, also..." Springtrap paused, his smile falling, eyes hard. "Also, I'm sorry about... earlier tonight. It... I never should've let it get that far, I... I should've been more observant, but still, you almost..." He trailed off, tearing his gaze away from the boy and staring at the ground. "...I'm so, _so_ sorry."

           Slowly, tentatively, Kenneth traced his fingers over his cuts. They didn't sting as much, but... "I-I should have kn-known what was happening wh-when I got all sl-sleepy and... c-couldn't open my eyes again." A small shudder, and he looked away. "An--And then I w-woke up and I could see through th-the holes in the eyes and I still felt so sleepy and w-warm and it was trying to lull me to sleep..." A whimper. His hands lowered. "...Y-you're, you're forgiven. You... can't do the skull thing anymore. But, um, th-thanks again."

           Springtrap half-smiled, though it didn't meet his eyes. "Eh, that skull thing was getting old, anyway; I just have to find a new way to keep you on your toes, I suppose." He attempted a small chuckle, although the horrible feeling in his gut refused to go away; no matter what Kenneth said, Springtrap had put his life in grave, grave danger- more times than the Guard had even realized. In his mind, it would take a lot more before he was able to forgive himself.

           Kenneth blinked, putting his hands on his hips. "H-hey! No k-keeping me on my toes!"

           The ghost's smile brightened. "Alright, alright... I'll only scare you once in a while. Maybe push some papers around, knock some stuff over-" He gave the Guard a wicked, playful sort of grin. "-break a few plates... you know, typical ghost stuff. Deal?"

           The boy almost snorted when he laughed. "Okay, okay, y-yeah, that--That seems fair. But not all the plates! You promised to leave me s-some."

           Springtrap made a vague hand gesture as he hopped off of the counter, letting his feet touch the floor "I'll see how I'm feeling when the time comes for me to examine your kitchenware."

           "I-I'm th-the one who's helping you out of here, y-you know!" Kenneth chided. Still, he smiled, laughing a bit more, showing that there was no possible way he could just back out without helping the ghost free.

           But then again, was there ever any doubt?


	18. Chapter 17: One More Try

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "That isn't me anymore, see. And until I'm gone, it never will be. When you dabble in the stasis between life and death, when you let the shadows be your guide and teach you how to save five others, how to stop the pain I'd felt, well...You can't expect to come out 'normal,' can you?"

** Chapter 17: One More Try **

           Chuckling, the ghost and the Guard exited the bathroom. They meandered down a hallway, walking aimlessly, until Springtrap asked:

           "So, Night Guard, what's the plan?"

           "...I-I was just gonna do a-another walk around," Kenneth replied. "Get something t-to bring home to Mallory. Maybe a-ask th-the Puppet to cool off a bit, and, and, um, if you need anything before we... Go... I'll pr-provide."

           The specter's eyes narrowed slightly. "You're going to _look_ for the Puppet? After what it tried to do to you? You know I might not be much help if it decides to attack you again..."

           "Not, not look, but if it comes back..." The boy went a little bit quieter. "M-maybe I'll talk to it a...A little."

           Springtrap gave a small sigh, knowing that it was pointless to argue. "Well, I'll be right here if it tries anything, but... just be careful."

           "Of course!" Did a shadow teasingly go over Kenneth's shoulder? No, no, it must have been a trick of the light. "I'm...It'll be--Be fine, right? It'll...Be fine."

           The ghost's eyes narrowed at the dark movement. Instinctively, he placed a hand against the Guard's back and lightly tried to push him forward, knowing full-well that all Kenneth could feel was an icy cold and no actual pressure. "Of course, you're fine. Let's just not stay here for too long. Keep moving; you want to explore this place some more, right?" 

           A shiver. But the boy nodded, starting to walk off again, holding his hands behind his back. Keep moving. That sounded right. "Y-Y'know, I mean, I don't li-like this place, not at all, but, in a way...I think I'll miss it."

           "I certainly can't _wait_ to get out..." Springtrap cast a glance up at the ceiling and then looked back down the hallway, shivering briefly. "Too many bad memories are trapped here."

           "Oh, f-for sure." Kenneth also looked up for a moment, halfway expecting to see something hiding up there. "M-maybe I'll, I'll be able to sleep through th-the night! That'll b-be exciting!"

           "Yeah, you definitely need some rest. You've done a _lot_ this past week..."

           "T-too many dr-dreams... But I'm glad they're over." A pause, and Kenneth rubbed his eyes. "Not to mention th-those weird hallucinations."

           "Well, at least they did _something_ , in the end; it wasn't _all_ for nothing." Springtrap gave the Guard a small, thankful sort of smile.

           Another shift of a shadow, and Kenneth laughed. "I was scared it--It didn't! And then I thought I br-broke you, I, I was gonna quit and never look back! ...But, but you got out."

           "Yeah, somehow... Although, obviously, I'm not totally free." The ghost suddenly stopped following Kenneth, glancing into a shadowy corner and crossing his arms in front of him, eyes narrowed. "...And neither are _you_ , Marionette. If you want to continue tormenting us, why don't you just come out of your corner instead of sulking?"

           " _You think too little of me, my friend_ ," Kenneth mumbled. Eyes widened in shock, he quickly clapped his hands over his mouth. "Um, d-don't worry, fine! I'm fine!"

           "Shit!" Springtrap cursed, immediately focusing his attention back on the Guard. Every one of his ethereal senses was on high-alert; he did _not_ want a repeat of earlier. "Kenneth, please tell me you're at least still conscious."

           "O-of co-co-- _Now, don't go about getting all huffy, he's perfectly fine_." The boy's hands lowered. "No, no, h-honest, I mean, I'm not asleep! Not asleep."

           The ghost blinked and then frowned, leaning in closer, looking into the Guard's eyes. To his relief, they weren't clouded over as they had been the last time the Puppet possessed Kenneth. However, there was a dark emotion lurking behind them that Springtrap was not too keen on enticing. "Okay, Kenneth, just... don't let it take over. I don't know what it's planning, but..." He frowned, addressing the Marionette. "...what do you mean he's 'perfectly fine?!' You're possessing him! The last time you did that, he almost got _impaled_!" 

           Kenneth's fingers flexed, his shoulders rolling back, the movements making him yelp a little. Moving without moving. Ick. "... _Of course, you of all people are going to judge on that sort of thing. If I did that, I would be absolutely nowhere near you. But here we are now_."

           "Just tell me what you want," Springtrap said, clenching his hands into fists again. "Leave the Guard out of it; he's about to leave for the end of his final shift, anyway."

           A hand dusted off the blue uniform, blinking lightly. " _Oh, I'm well aware. I'm not an idiot, Vincent."_ A pause, and slowly, the creature began to stretch. " _I just thought one or the both of you would be keen on thanking me."_

           "What?!" The former murderer raised an eyebrow. It was disconcerting to see the Guard's body move against his own volition, but as long as Kenneth was still awake, he had no reason to act. "What the hell should we be 'thanking you' for?!"

           The boy's arms crossed, Kenneth looking a bit uncomfortable. _"Come on. You thought a bunch of dreams with pinpoint accuracy to prior events was a remarkable coincidence, and Kenneth was just one special, magical idiot?"_

           Springtrap blinked. "What are you talking ab-" Suddenly, he froze. Slowly, he scrunched his eyes tightly and smacked a palm to his forehead.       

           Idiots; they were both such _idiots_.

           He opened his eyes again, staring hard at the Marionette. "...You're the one behind this. _All_ of this. Ugh, we're... I'm such an idiot... But..." He frowned slightly. "Why? Are the kids still trapped, or... did you really let them go? And... why _him?_ Why make _him_ deal with all of those dreams, or...whatever the hell they were?!"

           Gently, the Marionette swiveled on his heel and leaned back against the wall. " _Of_ course _I let them free; that's what I've wanted for decades. Unfortunately, I was unable to do so on my own; they needed more guidance than I could provide. So, I needed someone else to let them go. Considering the lack of compassion shown by Guards, either through ignorance or..."_ A very pointed look towards the specter. "... _Malice_..." He looked away again. " _I thought it only befitting. Why him? Well, he applied for the job, beggars can't be choosers. Of course...I didn't suppose_ you'd _be let go as well. "_

           "Well, I'm still here. Maybe not trapped with my physical body, but... I'm still trapped inside this building." The ghost hovered a bit closer. He hadn't heard Kenneth's real voice in a while, and it was making him anxious. "So...you caught me. Again. I'm still stuck, and I'm sure you can go if you wanted to, but... of course, you want to see me suffer some more. Understandably. Do you really need to continue possessing him, though? You obviously have many, many more abilities than I realized, and the children are all gone- well, except for _you_ , but I assume that's a personal choice. Does this idiot your possessing have more of a role to play in this 'game' of yours, or are you simply doing this for the hell of it?"

           "... _As it stands, my friend, I cannot speak without a vessel."_ A small bit of shame snuck into the Puppet's tone. " _I've made the attempt, but I am unable."_ Still, the Guard laughed, shrugging. " _Not that it matters, this is entertaining. Comfortable, even. I could ride around in here forever."_

           Springtrap frowned; that didn't make sense. "You can't? But, you've been _fine_ up until now. You talked to me all the time, so...what happened?"

           A small sigh. Clearly it had to explain such concepts to simpletons. Kenneth's fingers flexed, the Puppet almost looking like it was getting comfortable. _"You see, the stasis between death and life is fickle. Since I was ever so generously removed from my_ own _'body', thanks to this one-"_ A hand reached up and ruffled Kenneth's hair, _"-I lean more towards death. You are more towards the stasis I was in before I bound you to this fine establishment, thereby making you sway more towards the spectrum of the living. However, as I just mentioned, Kenneth 'set me free' from my 'body.' Thereby, while I could be heard_ then, _now I cannot. Without a vessel, as mentioned."_

           The specter's frown deepened. It was a confusing explanation, but- "I think I understand. Still... you had the chance to be _free_. And yet, you chose to pull me back here." He tilted his head questioningly. "That's why you're still here, right? Because you couldn't stand to let _me_ go, and in your haste to bring me back, you got trapped again as well?"

           The Puppet's eyes drifted away with a discontented hum. _"More or less. Told myself that I wouldn't mind it so much-"_ And then he suddenly glared. " _As long as_ you _never got to leave."_

           Springtrap closed his eyes for a brief moment, nodding. There it was: the simple answer as to why the Marionette was still around when it had gotten the ideal opportunity to be free. Once again... it was all Springtrap's fault. It was _always_ his fault. He let out a small sigh and tapped a hand against his transparent thigh. "Well, I'm not free yet. So..." He winced at the harsh expression on the Guard's face; it just looked so _unnatural_. "Ugh... Let Kenneth talk for a bit, will you? As much as I enjoy listening to your _lovely_ voice, I want to be sure that he's still in there."

           The creature's eyes rolled, but he gave another stretch, humming. Something seemed to slink up the wall, and Kenneth gave a sudden gasp, stumbling and holding his head. _Ooof, ow._ Getting that contented numbness so quickly stripped away was nauseating.

           "I-Where-" The Guard quickly looked around, nervous. After a second, though, he sighed in mild contentment. "Oh, o-okay, um, nothing happened."

           "Something _did_ happen," Springtrap responded, giving Kenneth a small, relieved smile. The boy appeared to be unharmed. There was no telling when the Puppet would come back, but at least now the signs of its possession were obvious. "We just had a little chat."

           "Oh, really?" Kenneth gave small smile back, reaching up to rub the back of his neck. "It, it was okay, right, I--I didn't do anything? I...I thought I could st-stay awake, but..."

           "No, you just... well, _you_ didn't, I mean..." The ghost ran a hand through his hair, gesturing vaguely with the other. "It was just weird to see those expressions on your face. And... your voice was unnerving." He gave the boy a teasing smile, attempting to lighten his mood. "The Marionette doesn't stutter, unlike an easily frightened Night Guard that I know of; I'm not used to it."

           Kenneth laughed slightly, his smile growing. "It's--It's okay, I mean, yeah, it's...I-I didn't s-see it a whole lot, but, it's, it's not me. So, uh, s-sorry for, um... m-making you uncomfortable." A beat of silence, then his tone turned hesitant. "Did... Did y-you guys make up, or an-anything?"

           Springtrap let out a barking laugh, lightly patting the Guard on the head. "Did we 'make up?' Did the murder victim make up with their killer? What an interesting question..." He removed his hand from atop the boy's hair and placed it back at his side, a tired, ironic smile tugging up one corner of his mouth as he shook his head. "...No, Kenneth. We didn't 'make up.' I _did_ learn, however, that the Marionette is indeed stuck here, like I am, and it can't talk without a... a 'vessel,' I think was the term it used. And... that would be _you._ So, it'll definitely be back."

           "...Oh." A small bit of paleness flushed against Kenneth's neck, his eyes darting away. "W-well, I mean, then... I should d-definitely burn th-this place. So...You can both go!" A big smile, but it quickly fell as he mumbled, "Un-unless, um, unless it ties you to s-something else."  

           The ghost froze at the suggestion. While the thought had only crossed his mind for a brief moment, it was certainly a very real possibility. "...Let's just hope I'll go with the building. But, you should be aware, it's going to be very, _very_ upset if you try to free me again. The only reason it came back was to make sure that I didn't escape, and if you give me that opportunity, then all of its troubles, at least in its mind, will have been for nothing." 

           Kenneth clasped his hands. Damned if he did, damned if he didn't, wasn't that right? Well he had to-

           A finger twitched. A small mumble. _"Don't worry...You won't escape."_ This made the boy jump, covering his mouth again. "I--I mean! Don't--Don't you--It'll b-be okay, I'm sure I, I can still help--Honest!"

           "Kenneth, it's okay; it just wants to talk some more." Springtrap's eyes hardened, now addressing the Puppet. "And I'm very interested in what it has to say. How, exactly, are you going to stop my soul from being free? Because, if my assumptions are correct, when the thing that I'm bound to-whether it's my body, that rotting suit, or this building- is destroyed... I'll have nothing left in this world to hold onto. And then I'll be gone. Unless-" He raised an eyebrow. "-you have other plans that you care to tell me about, _friend?_ "

           The creature smiled.  It smiled very, very wide. It stretched, shifting on its feet, getting all situated yet again. " _You and I can touch one another. Yes? So as long as I stay...You stay."_

           Springtrap frowned, hard. What was the damn thing going on about now? "What are you trying to say? I can touch _you_ , yes, but not...Kenneth." Suddenly, his eyes widened, hands balling into fists. Slowly, he said, in a tone of poorly-composed anger, "...You're not planning to leave his body, are you?"

           A shrug, but the Marionette couldn't help but let out a small laugh. _"Oh, I wanted to kill him to stop him. But I think this is better. It can get so hard, one lonely soul running a body... He should take a nice little break, wouldn't you say, my friend?"_

           "You want my opinion? Fine." The ghost's eyes narrowed, hands still clenched into fists by his sides. "I think Kenneth is perfectly capable of running his own body, and doesn't need any help from _you_. And you... you had the chance to be _free_ ; you could have left with the other children, left all of this behind... but you chose to stay. You're a vengeful spirit who chose to stay behind. I admit that I understand why you did so; not that I'm saying it was the right move, but... I understand. And I certainly have no right to judge. However..." He finally relaxed his hands, gesturing to the Guard's body. "You'll have to get out of there at _some_ point. He can't stay in this attraction forever; people will come looking for him. And since you're stuck here with me, you can't leave the building and you'll have to let him-"

           Abruptly, he paused, an unnerving thought popping into his head. "You...You _can't_ stay in his body if he leaves, can you? You're tied to this place, just like me...right?"

           A dark, dark little chuckle. _"Oh, you never heard?"_ Gently, the creature began to advance, circling around the specter with a smile on his face. _"That blathering idiot on the phone may have gotten a few things wrong, but he did know something about me. Two somethings. He hated me for both these reasons. One:-"_ One finger was held up, _"-I'm always thinking. And two,-"_ A second finger came up as well, and his voice lowered. _"I can go_ anywhere."

           The former murderer's mouth hung open slightly, an expression of utter confusion plastered across his face. Staring hard into the Puppet's measured gaze, he slowly managed to choke out, "What... what _are_ you? I-I mean, how did you become... _this_? You were just a kid when I..."

           _"Oh, yes, just a poor little lonely soul. Crying, wasn't I? Waiting for daddy dearest to come pick me up? Oh, what a charming little child I was."_ Its eyes grew hard, smile falling. _"And then you just had to show up."_ Its nose wrinkled into a small sneer. Ah, how varied it could make this body's facial expressions! _"That isn't me anymore, see. And until I'm gone, it never will be. When you dabble in the stasis between life and death, when you let the shadows be your guide and teach you how to save five others, how to stop the pain I'd felt, well...You can't expect to come out 'normal,' can you?"_

           "Obviously not." Springtrap sneered as he said this, then his expression softened ever-so-slightly. "But... you _did_ save the others. Twice! Unless there's some other aspect to this whole thing that I'm not getting, the kids have been freed. Have you really become _so_ twisted that you just couldn't bring yourself to follow them? You wouldn't _ever_ have had to come back!"

           _"If I left, then you'd be gone!"_ The creature's hands clenched, stepping forward. _"They're gone, and thank goodness! They deserve it! But me--Me--You honestly want me to just leave my murderer behind? Some wicked, wicked man who killed myself, killed them, out of pure malice? And never even got punishment until years later, through his own cowardice and cocky nature?"_ A spiteful snicker. _"If it means keeping you here, I'll never leave."_

           Springtrap's eyes narrowed and one of his hands instinctively flexed. This Puppet was severely getting on his nerves. What he wouldn't give for a chance to shut it up again; his technique had been _so_ effective thirty years ago... "Then enjoy your stay, because there's nothing that I can do or say that will convince you that I truly regret what I've done, nor is there anything that could make up for it. And I know that. So...get used to this place; we'll be here for a while." He relaxed a little, straightening his posture and trying to control his ever-increasing temper. He could feel a darkly familiar sensation prickling in the back of his mind.

           _If he could just shut the damn thing up..._

He blinked, pushing the thought away momentarily. "Just give the Guard a break every now and again, would you? It's not like he can do anything about you taking up residence in his head, anyway."

           _"Must I?"_ A dismissive wave of the hand, and the creature propped itself up against the wall again. _"I think I'm very comfortable as the new Kenneth around here. I'm sure I can feign a stammer. 'O-o-oh, Vi-Vincent, I'm so--I mean--Well, I sympathize w-with a child murderer! I-isn't that sad?' Not hard at all."_ Its eyes shut, laughing again. _"Ah, yes, indeed. I could work here. In fact, I should work here! I'd come in every day and you'd get to watch him get piloted around. Like a puppet. My puppet. Mmm, what a fascinating notion..."_  

           "Stop it." The former murderer took a step towards the inhabited body, a dark, unpleasant emotion lurking in his eyes. "He can fight back, you know. He's a complete fool, but he has a strong mind. And I'm sure he'll be quite unhappy with you taking over the job he's fought so hard to keep." A little louder, taking another step closer. "Kenneth, it's time to wake up! Now!"

           A small twitch of the fingers, a sleepy mumble, but the man's eyes snapped open as he waved the spirit away. _"Mmm, no, no, no! I told you Vincent_ , I'm _the Kenneth around here. I think you should just let him nod off. It's probably the best sleep he's had since you showed up."_

           "I said 'stop it.'" The ghost took another large step and, suddenly, he was right in front of the Marionette's face. He frowned and tilted his head slightly; he couldn't get a hold of Kenneth, that much he was certain of. But, if it came down to it...would he be able to grab the foreign spirit _inside_ the human's body? He had, after all been able to grab the shadowy tendrils earlier, so what would prevent him from grabbing another part of the Marionette's ethereal body? Say...its throat, maybe? It was a possibility worth considering. A wicked grin flashed across his face for a split-second, before his expression returned to that of loosely-composed rage. "I'm not keen on playing another game of yours."

_"Temper, temper,"_ the creature tutted, wagging a finger. _"The last time I listened to a single word out of that lying, cheating mouth of yours, I ended up dead. Let's just stop."_ It took one large step to the left, shaking its head to shoo away the slight chill the ghost left with his close presence. And, slowly, the boy's body began to walk. _"Let's get his car keys and finally leave this childish trifle...Until work tomorrow, that is."_

           "Wait, you can't just _leave_ with him like that!" Springtrap quickly moved into place beside the Guard's body, grasping at his arm.

           There was a small hitch in the Puppet's step, but it quickly jerked away from the ghost, sneering. "Don't you touch me. And yes. I can leave with him like this. What reason have I to hang around?"

           The ghost snatched his hand back, instinctively gripping it into a fist, temper absolutely seething. The Marionette actually had a point; unless the Guard regained control, there was nothing left for him to do. Now that the Puppet had a body to possess, it could roam wherever it pleased, doing whatever took its fancy. This thought made Springtrap incredibly uneasy; Kenneth would certainly be pissed when he woke up... _if_ he woke up anytime soon. This dark, growing concern slowly spreading throughout his body left Springtrap unable to do anything but follow along behind the "human," glaring silent daggers through the Marionette's back.

           A contented little hum from the creature, another snicker following. " _Oh, so you_ can _listen."_ But, it quieted as it strode down the hallways, slowly reentering the Guard's office. " _Now, where would this man put his keys..."_ It began to pace around the room, throwing open desk drawers and generally snooping around.

           Begrudgingly accepting that there was nothing he could do at the current time, Springtrap settled for perching on top of the desk and crossing his arms, watching the possessed boy closely. "Since when do you know how to drive, by the way? I mean, Kenneth does, surely, but if your mind is the one in control, then I'm fairly certain you haven't taken any driver's classes during my centuries-long nap." 

           A pause, a hand suddenly stopping on one of the desk knobs. But, it quickly got back into its search. " _I stir him awake just long enough for fine motor skills, say the night's over, keep my grip on him, he'll drive me there and we'll call it a night."_

           "Probably not the best idea; I have a feeling he's going to be resisting like hell, and won't be too keen on taking you back to his house, now that he knows you're in his head. There's only so much unwarranted possession a person can take in one night, even for a wimp like him." The ghost shrugged, attempting to appear nonchalant.

           _"He'll listen to what I want him to if he--Aha!"_ The creature scampered into a corner, smiling, hoisting up the bag Kenneth had brought in with him--Boxes of crackers, water bottles, and at the very bottom a jingle of metal. It snatched up the keys, chuckling. "Here we are, then. How nice to see he's a rather organized one."

           Springtrap pursed his lips. So much for _that_ tactic. He only hoped that Kenneth wouldn't freak out and crash the car on the way home. "Do you really think the people he's around every day won't notice a difference? Stuttering is one thing, but that personality of his is quite a bit different that _your_ typical demeanor..."

           Casually the Puppet put the bag back on, shrugging, already making its leave. _"So? What are they going to do? You couldn't wake him up, they won't either. Can't you just admit defeat? Or are you still too prideful to even consider the word?"_

           Glaring, the specter once again trailed after the Guard's body. "No, I won't. I know he's in there somewhere, and I _will_ find a way to wake him up, if he doesn't come out of it himself." Quietly, no louder than a whisper, he mumbled, "...I promised the idiot, after all."

           The creature's footsteps stopped, looking back with a slight glare. _"You? Make a promise to some moron who still wants to help you? Oh, don't make me laugh."_

           "What does it matter to you?"  Springtrap's tone was harsh, abrupt. He was quite done with this conversation. "As long as I'm trapped here, you shouldn't care what I'm doing with my endless amount of free time."

           The Puppet's fingers gave a small spasm, much to its discomfort, quickly curling them into fists. _"I'll always care too much about you. Don't want the bad guy getting too comfortable, after all."_

           The former murderer clenched his teeth, hissing through them. "Trust me...I'm not."

           _"Good!"_ Its hands seemed to be moving slowly, dropping the keys on the ground, taking the bag back off. _"Since that's what I'm here for. I've made it my goal to be your own personal-"_ The bag fell to the floor, and the creature blinked in surprise. _"...Kenneth, go back to sleep."_

           Springtrap's gaze snapped to the Guard's and he floated up so that he was directly facing him. There was definitely _something_ behind those dark eyes now. "No, no, don't you _dare_ go back to sleep! Listen to me, Kenneth, come on; I know you don't want to go through this again. Please, I know you're awake in there. Just resist! It's not as strong as you think!"

           The fingers flexed, and the body stumbled back a bit. _"Now--Now, Kenneth, my friend, I told you to go back to-"_ Gently, the hands reached up, pawing at the face, the boy giving a slight moan of discomfort. _"Kenneth--I told you, don't listen to him, shh...Shh..."_

           "Listen to _me_ not the voice in your head!" Hoping that it would help, as it had before, Springtrap lightly placed a hand on the Guard; this time, however, he placed it on top of his head and went through the motion of ruffling his hair. Kenneth was trying to wake up, after all-maybe feeling direct cold against his head instead of through a layer of fabric would bring him out of his dream faster. "Come on, Night Guard, wake up! Stop letting it control you! Come on, please..."

           Another small moan. _"...No, no, didn't you hear me, we're going home-"_ Despite the Puppet's protests, the boy's arms went forward, wrapping around the coldness, letting the goosebumps spread up his arms. It almost looked like he was hugging the ghost- Though, obviously, that couldn't be possible. The cold was coming through the hazy numbness, slowly-

           " ...Mmmm..Don'wanna leave, no, don'wanna..."

           The former murderer froze. "Kenneth, what are you..." Then, suddenly, it clicked: the cold. Kenneth was trying to feel as much of the cold emanating off of his spectral body as possible. It _was_ waking him up! Though he knew they were working under a time constraint-wait too long, and the Puppet would take over again-, Springtrap couldn't help being a tad hesitant as he shifted his position and awkwardly wrapped his arms around the Guard's neck, trying to let the human feel as much jarring cold as possible. Transparent ghost or not, he wasn't used to this sort of physical contact. Quieter than before, his voice trembling slightly with fear of both the possibility of the Marionette regaining control and the unfamiliar physical action of a "hug," he spoke again, "H-Hey, it's...it's fine. You're fine, just...as long as you wake up. Soon. Please...w-wake up. Wake up, Kenneth. Wake. Up!"

           "Sorry..." A sniff. "Sorry, tried to stay awake, tried..." A small growl, a shake, trying to keep control, but... Kenneth yawned, head going forward, burying his forehead in what could be called the ghost's shoulder. He was so... so... A shadow went up the wall and darted away. So cold. Such a nice chill. "Don'wanna go, hafta help, hafta...Lecha' go Mari, be a kid, lemme go I'll lecha' go..."

           Springtrap saw the shadow leave, letting out a small, mental sigh of relief. Once again, the Puppet had retreated for the time being. But, Kenneth- he was... Awkwardly, the ghost did his best to pat him on the back, making a great effort to not let any part of the human body sink through his ethereal one. "Okay, alright... you're awake now. You're back, so...you can stand up now. Kenneth? You're okay...right? You...you _are_ Kenneth, aren't you?"

           A groan. "...Sp--Springtr...Trap? Vin..." The other name lingered on the boy's lips, and his head rose, a hand rubbing his face. He felt woozy. "I'm awake?" He sounded confused, looking around, holding his hands out only to stretch his fingers. He was awake! A small, shaky laugh. "I-I'm--Awake! I, oh, I'm sorry, I, I didn't mean, I...Oof, that, that...Won't l-let it happen... Again. I'm Ke-Kenneth!" 

           Quickly, almost gratefully, Springtrap let go of the boy and hovered backwards, putting a few inches of space between them. He noticed that he was shaking slightly, though whether this was from the hug, the Marionette's possession, or a combination of the two, he couldn't be sure. He ran a trembling hand through his hair, giving Kenneth a half-smile. "You...you scared the crap out of me, idiot! Don't...try not to... to let it get that bad, if you can help it. Got it?"

           "I--I tried, I did, I really--But, but everything g-got so dr-drowsy, and warm, and--And I..." The boy sighed, hanging his head. "I'm--Sorry! Sorry. No, no, I... I wasn't gonna leave and... I'm gonna get you and it out of here. Soon. I have to." He gave a shaky laugh, wringing his hands gently. "Um. And, er. S-sorry for kinda...Hugging you. It, um...It worked, though?"

           Springtrap forced himself to stop shaking, waving a nonchalant hand. "Hey, don't worry about it. I mean... I thought that it would work, and it did, so...at least you're back to yourself."

           "...W-Were you shaking again?" Kenneth's voice went quiet, as he gently stepped closer. "No, no, it's okay, I'm sorry, I...Don't...D-don't be scared f-for me, I'm, I'm...F-fine."

           Instinctively, the specter backed up, gripping his arms hard. It looked as if he were trying to warm himself up, only... he wasn't cold. He couldn't feel much of anything, admittedly, but rather than being overall chilled there was a new, foreign feeling in the back of the former murderer's mind. It was almost... warm. But that was impossible; this strange feeling set his nerves on edge. Despite this, he attempted another smile for the unfortunate boy. "Stop apologizing; I already told you that there's nothing for you to be sorry for! Just...stay awake. Don't let that thing take over you again, and we'll be fine."

           "Of--Of course!" Kenneth nodded rapidly, a hand reaching up and rubbing the back of his neck. "No, I know, I...I won't, and...Are...You okay?" Softly, he did one small shuffle closer. "You, you... Sound all on edge. I--I know, I shouldn't ha-have let th-that happen, but... Compared to last time...With th-the head and--Well, co-comparatively, it wasn't so bad. Don't be sc-scared."

           "I'm not _scared."_ Springtrap shook his head, slightly relaxing his grip but still keeping a firm hold on his arms. He let out a small, disbelieving sort of chuckle, staring at the ground. "I guess that, even when I'm dead, I'm still not good with... physical affection. Which I can't even _feel_ but... it unnerves me. Always has." The warm spot in the back of his mind was slowly creeping back; it wasn't necessarily an unpleasant sensation, but it was so unfamiliar. He didn't like it.

           "Oh." Kenneth's voice was small- confused, even. He couldn't comprehend someone not liking physical affection. But, well... this was Springtrap. He was a being far beyond the constraints of "normality." "I-I mean...Sorry. I was...Half asleep. I--I won't...Do it again."

            Springtrap finally let go of his arms, letting them hang awkwardly by his side. He met the Guard's gaze, his expression-for once- unreadable. "If it helps you stay awake, then just... grab my arm or something. I mean... that's why I touched you in the first place, because it helped last time. I just... Well, the last time I 'hugged' someone, it...didn't end well for them." His eyes shifted back to the floor, his mouth turning downwards in an ashamed sort of grimace. He felt a new memory encroaching into his consciousness.

           Kenneth blinked. He could only assume what Springtrap meant. But...

           "Did you g-get more memories back?" he asked softly, cocking his head. "More, more...Um. Mur-murders?" His hands began to wring just saying the word, but he tried to keep it under control, tried to reign it in and not look like he was some sort of quivering wreck. Everyone knew he _was_ one anyway, but still... "Well, I, um...Just d-don't think about it. You... C-c-can't hurt me. Th-this way."

           A sharp pain in the ghost's head made him wince and shut his eyes. The last time he had shown "physical affection," he had-

           _...The child was screaming. Screaming incessantly. Such a loud noise that just. Wouldn't. Stop._

_It was driving him mad. Vincent had to do something; had to make it stop. Walking over to the child, he forced a smile and held out a hand._

_"Hello, little one. Why are you so upset?"_

_"M-My dad is supposed t-to b-be here, but he's l-late!" was the crying, sniveling response. Vincent was trying his best to be kind, a feat greater than the child could comprehend, but the thing simply wouldn't keep its mouth shut._

_"Let's go wait for him in a special place; I only show this room to my very best friends!" Vincent said, soothingly, his mind calm and focused. The child looked up at him, large, watery eyes sending a constant set of tear streaks down its face._

_"R-Really?" Another sniffle, met with a wide, wide smile._

_"Oh yes."_

           _The child nodded, and Vincent held out his arms. Immediately, the young one ran into the adults' safe embrace. Vincent hoisted the child up, cradling it against his chest. To the man's absolute disgust, the thing was_ still _sobbing..._

_The Guard made sure that no one was looking and casually walked into the storage room, locking the door behind him. He set the child down. It gazed up at him expectantly, waiting for the explanation of why this room was so special, and then-_

           The memory suddenly cut off, and Springtrap's eyes shot open. He gasped loudly, as if he had been trapped for hours without air.

           Kenneth stared at Springtrap in mild concern as the ghost just seemed to stop. The boy's hands wrung a little harder, his feet shuffling all the closer. "Springtrap?" He hoped to jar the ghost back into reality, but he was cut off in his attempt by a sudden, awfully loud gasp that made him jump. Taking a moment to compose himself, he looked back to the ghost. "Wh-what happened, are, are you okay?!" 

           The former murderer looked around frantically, trying to get his bearings. This wasn't the storage room, no, this was... a hallway. This was a simply hallway, decades into the future from where his mind had just been, and standing next to him with a terrified expression plastered across his face was-

           "K-Kenneth? You're...I'm..." Springtrap held up a blessedly transparent hand. He was a ghost, he was Springtrap, he wasn't- The specter gulped and slowly focused on the Guard, running a shaky hand through his hair "Y-Yeah, I'm...fine... Fine, just... another memory, yeah. Or a...a fragment of one."

           "...You look sc-scared." Kenneth swallowed, trying to keep his nerves very much down. "An-another memory? Um, I...I take it, er, it...Wasn't very good?"

           "No, it...it wasn't. It got very close to... "Springtrap took a shaky breath, calming himself; it was only a memory. A very vivid memory, but a memory nonetheless. "It... got close to a part that I really don't care to relive, I'll put it that way."

           The boy's shoulder's fell. "Murders?" He looked away. Well, at least the ghost didn't want to talk about it as much as he didn't want to listen to it. Springtrap might be his friend _now,_ but he surely wouldn't have been back then. "Well, um, it's, it's okay Springtrap, don't...Don't worry. Not real."

           The ghost's eyes snapped to Kenneth's, a darkness lurking in his expression that the Guard was not particularly fond of. "No, Kenneth; it's _very_ real. Or, at least...it _was_. Very, very real."

           The darkness was detected, and as predicted, Kenneth wasn't too keen on it. Nervously he shifted his weight, going back ever so slightly. "Okay, okay, um, m-maybe it was real, but, but I mean--It's not real now! So..."

           There was long, long pause that seemed to last for hours. And then, quietly, Springtrap muttered: "Right, it's... it was a long time ago. So... it's fine. I mean, it's _not_ , but... it is. For now." Abruptly, his mouth flipped up into a smile. The Guard was becoming frightened again, which was the last thing he wanted. "I'm fine. I didn't mean to...to freak you out. Sorry."

           A slow exhale, Kenneth reaching up to rub the back of his neck again. "...No, it's...It really s-seemed to, to scare you, th-that memory, so I...Just w-wanted you to feel better."

           "It was just-" The ghost paused again, and then shook his head. The memory itself wasn't the point they needed to focus on. "I'm just wondering why I'm remembering this _now_. I've been awake for nearly a week, but I haven't had any of these weird flashbacks until just recently. And this one is... it's...it's just _one_ kid- one little, crying kid-" Suddenly, he froze, a small glimmer of understanding dawning in his mind.

           Kenneth bit his lower lip, eyes moving away, the understanding not quite sinking in for him. His eyes wandered back to Springtrap. "I, I mean...D-didn't you ge-get them all at one time? I...I don't know."

           The specter shifted his gaze away; there was no way he could look straight-on at the Guard's naive face as he revealed his horrendous past. He let out a short, humorless laugh, "That's what the papers said, didn't they? 'Five children missing?' All at once... Yes, I killed those five kids at the same time. But the papers glossed over a very important fact."

           Kenneth swallowed very, very hard, shifting his weight again. His eyes darted away, unable to look at the ghost either. Whatever this was building up to, he knew it would not be good. "Um...Wh-what sort of...Fact?"

           "Don't you remember your dreams? Those weird hallucinations?" Springtrap gave the Guard a moment to think, and then continued. "...There were _six_ of them. _Six_ kids, in total. And the first one, the one that started it all... he was by himself. He was all alone, and I..." He suddenly gripped his hair with both hands, letting out a slight, pained groan. "Shit, I'm...I'm such a wretched, _wretched_ person... He was just _scared._ That's why he wouldn't stop, he... He just needed _help_ , and... and I couldn't understand... Why couldn't I understand...?"

           Kenneth forced himself to look up at Springtrap, forced himself to softly come closer. This wasn't good, not at all, but despite how dark this conversation was, it seemed important for the ghost. "So, so...You...Killed him? And you..." The boy's face lost color, and his hands clasped, trying not to make them wring. "...Wh-what happens...Then?"

           Springtrap laughed again, a short, barking sound. "Come on, Kenneth... I know you're smart enough to figure it out." His eyes finally the Guard's, a surprisingly haunted look lurking deep within them. "Don't...don't make me say it, because he was... the child _is_... It's tormenting me with its own death now, making me relive what I've done, and..."

           Slowly, Springtrap took a deep breath just as Kenneth's eyes widened in realization. Both Guards, former and current, swore they heard soft, sad laughter from the shadows as Springtrap whispered,

           "It's our very best friend."


	19. Chapter 18: Breaking Point

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Springtrap blinked, willing the tears away as he looked at Kenneth, mumbling to himself:  
> I-I...I killed him...I... He w-was just... just a kid, I... why? W-why...why did I...?"

** Chapter 18: Breaking Point **

           Slowly, Kenneth's jaw dropped. His hands reached up, covering his mouth as he breathed out, "I-I knew it w-was a child, one o-of the kids, but, but I thought..."

           "You thought _what?"_ Springtrap's tone was unintentionally harsh and abrupt. "That the all-powerful Puppet was just some random kid, one of the countless ones that I killed at that... that party?"

           _Yes, it_ had _been a party- a birthday party, but... no one was having any fun. They were all upset, all five of them, even the birthday girl, and..._

The ghost shook his head. No, no, this wasn't the memory he needed to focus on. "...No. This one was... it was the first. He was special; he was my 'best friend,' I called him, and so...That's why _he_ was the one to become so angry, because he was...he was the first, and I..."

           A shadow crossed the wall and paused, watching almost judgmentally. Kenneth bit his thumbnail hard, chomping it off. "Th-that's why it--it wants you t-to suffer, wh-why t-this spirit hates you so, _so_ much, and..." A swallow, pulling his nail out of his mouth. "...Fi-first victim is th-the worst...?"

           "The worst murder?" Springtrap filled in the rest of the sentence, his eyes locked onto the Guard's wide, frightened ones. "...Yes. Of course. I...I didn't know what I was doing, it was...it was simply an impulse that I...Well, I'd had it for a long time, though I can't tell you _why._ The most effective way to stop a screaming child? Make it so that it can never scream again. Same with an annoying coworker, or bothersome neighbor... if there's nothing left of them, if their life is taken away, then they can no longer cry and whine, and-"

           He broke off abruptly, hands beginning to shake. He remembered the feeling of it, of when he-

           _The child didn't go peacefully. Oh no, that sprightly young thing resisted with all of its might. First, Vincent tried the obvious method; his hands fit well around the child's throat, but it kicked and thrashed around like a trapped animal. The little thing soon managed to kick the Guard in the chest hard, winding him and forcing him to release his grip. Then, the child tried to run; of course it did. But when it got to the door, it discovered that it had been locked. The child whirled back to face the man, the tears now coming faster and heavier than they had before. As the pain in its throat began to reside, it prepared to let out a mighty wail..._

_But Vincent was too fast. He rushed the child and slapped a hand over its mouth, muffling the scream._

_"Shh, my friend...there's no need to shout!" Vincent cooed in a soothing tone, lightly brushing the child's bangs out of its eyes, a wicked grin on his face. He certainly couldn't let the thing go_ now, _could he? Not after what it had seen. "I only want to play a game!"_

 _The man looked around. What else could he use to make the screaming stop? The only items in the storage room were empty suits and parts of the exoskeletons that were in serious_ _need of repair. Vincent's eyes shifted to a toolbox located on the table; those tools needed to be pretty strong and sharp to cut through metal, didn't they?_

_His grin widened. Roughly, a hand still firmly planted over the child's mouth, Vincent dragged it over to the table, reaching for the box-_

           The memory cut off. Springtrap gasped again, this time actually falling to his knees. The pain in his body was spreading, no longer just in his head. All over, he felt a vague pins-and-needles like sensation.

           Kenneth looked... horrified. Not his usual brand of nervous, or jittery, but absolutely appalled. The way Springtrap was talking about it, as though ending someone's life was the most obvious answer, like it was so weird Kenneth had never even considered the notion... It was almost too much for the boy. This man, or what used to be one, was truly insane. Kenneth watched the specter carefully as he became lost in thought, seriously considering whether he should make his final move while Springtrap was distracted. Once the building crumbled to ash, the trapped spirit and potentially reformed murderer would be no more.

           And yet, the boy's feet remained rooted to the ground.

           He couldn't leave Springtrap like this. Kenneth himself had already experienced losing his new, troubled friend without a word, and it had hurt more than words could describe. He couldn't bring himself to do the same thing to the ghost, especially when he was in such an obviously vulnerable state. So, just as he had done for the past few nights, Kenneth stayed put.

           A long moment of silence seemed to stretch on for hours. And then, suddenly, the ghost toppled to the ground, scaring Kenneth enough that he rushed over, dropping to his knees as well. "Are--Are you--?" 

           Springtrap wrapped his arms around himself again, waiting as the pins-and-needles subsided, only to be replaced by a brief fit of trembling that, thankfully, only lasted a few seconds. Vaguely, out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Kenneth rush over and kneel down next to him. Slowly, he turned his gaze to the Guard, the look in his eyes no longer just "haunted."

           It was a look of abject horror. Not horror at what the crying child had become, but what he, Vincent, had done to the poor thing. The kid had only wanted some help, but it wouldn't be quiet, and those dark thoughts... those dark thoughts that had been plaguing Vincent's mind for years and years, filling his head with horrible, dreadful ideas... He took a shaky breath, and his eyes began to feel watery again. He blinked, willing the tears away as he looked at Kenneth, mumbling to himself:

           "I-I...I killed him...I... He w-was just... just a kid, I... why? W-why...why did I...? It...It seemed so easy, an effective s-solution, but... But it wasn't... Although I...I couldn't u-understand... why? Why...?"

           The shadow on the wall, so keen on watching, seemed to shift, coming a little closer.

           Kenneth, meanwhile, reached a hand out, lightly placing it on Springtrap's shoulder. The boy put on his best sympathetic smile. "But, but you're... b-better now. You--You d-d-did, did really bad, bad things, but..." A swallow; the ghost looked truly disturbed, and it alarmed the Guard. "...Um. You're...You're okay n-now."

           "Don't you _get it_?!" Springtrap screamed startling both the boy and himself with his tone. He wrenched his shoulder away and stared hard into Kenneth's face, his wide gaze unnervingly fixated. "I will _never_ be okay, Kenneth; _I murdered six children_! Even if I'm 'reformed,' or have 'gained my conscience,' or whatever the hell you want to say I am now... it doesn't change the fact that I murdered those innocent kids. Brutally. I-It was...They didn't deserve to suffer like that, I... I didn't even make it fast, for...for him, he... He suffered for so long, trying to scream, but I... _I don't deserve to have this damn body!"_

           Abruptly, the specter pulled at his purple uniform shirt, trying to wrench it off. However, it refused to tear. Another aspect of being a ghost was, apparently, to always stay with the same clothes one died in. Springtrap let out a low growl, instantly invoking the memory of Kenneth's first encounter with the decaying rabbit suit. Frustrated, the ghost raked his hands down his face, fingernails digging into his cheeks but leaving no injuries. He began to chant in a low, monotonous voice:

           "I don't deserve it... I don't deserve it... I don't deserve this, any of this... I don't..."

           Kenneth bit his tongue. Hard. Blood began to run down his throat and he shivered. For all intents and purposes... the ghost was right. He was unquestionably right. He was a child murderer and a completely terrible person. And... he _should_ be scared. He should be terrified out of his mind, shaking and screaming and... He should still be a rabbit.

           But something else was gnawing at Kenneth's mind.

           "...You don't," the boy agreed softly. Springtrap flinched at the words, still muttering to himself, though a bit softer to hear Kenneth speak. "B-But, you know... y-you know what else you don't d-deserve? To stay here and al-always be lonely. I think... I think everyone r-really sometimes deserves a s-second ch-chance. And wh-when you're, you're forced into an... an iron maiden and... made to have your memories a-and very essence drained for d-decades... then ma-maybe you earned a-another try."

           Sharply, Springtrap's gaze snapped back to the Guard's, hands paused against his face, fingernails still imprinting his cheeks. He spoke softly, his tone at a whisper. "A... Another... try? B-But...but I...I shouldn't..." 

           Kenneth's hand reached out, going on the ghost's shoulder again. "We-well...I'm loud, and always sc-screaming, and I, I can't shut up and--And I--I get scared a-all the time. I-I'm basically like a k-kid in the body of an a-adult. But...But you...you sa-saved me. A...A whole lot of times. So...So you're already...on the right pa-path." 

           Springtrap moved into a sitting position and scrunched his knees up to his chest. And then, slowly, so, so painstakingly slowly, he lifted one hand up and placed it on top of Kenneth's. He put his other hand over his face, resting his elbow on his knee; a few ethereal tears managed to escape, but he couldn't care less at this point. He sat there in a dense silence, for once actually sort of appreciating the Guard's overly-kind presence, letting the emotions he had suppressed for so long work their way through both his mind and body.

           A small, sympathetic smile crossed Kenneth's face. And then, against his better judgment, he leaned forward and wrapped his other arm around the ghost. He was careful, oh so careful, not to actually topple into him. "...I'll...I'll let you go and...Y-You'll be... okay."

           The ghost froze in place, the trembling instantly stopping. The idiotic boy was hugging him again, giving him the sort of affection that he had specifically said he did _not_ want. Kenneth never listened, did he? Always doing what  _he_  pleased, under the guise of doing the "right thing," no matter how aggravating that might be to others around him...

           Vincent couldn't _stand_ those people.

           There was a very simple solution to get rid of this problem, and the man had to admit, he was getting rather good at it. Yes, there had been some slip-ups here and there, but one often learns through mistakes. Though he was now a ghost, Vincent could surely find a way to-

           _But, wait._

           He was _not_ "Vincent," anymore, he was... "Springtrap." The name given to this new, warped personality of his that actually had other emotions besides annoyance, anger, and a dark sense of what made him "happy." And he, Springtrap... well, though he almost hated to admit it, he had grown rather fond of the Guard. Despite Kenneth's frightened, child-like demeanor, the boy was the bravest person the ghost had ever met. Somehow, Springtrap had found enough... enough of _something_ inside himself to consider Kenneth a "friend."

           Abruptly, he allowed his head to fall onto the Guard's shoulder, mumbling softly: "...Thank you."

           Instantly, Kenneth's smile grew so, so much bigger. He gave the ghost a little squeeze- which sort of amounted to his hands going through the specter, and the chill made him shiver. But, he didn't pull away. Springtrap, he... he needed him. He needed him right there. "You're... Heh. Y-You're welcome."

           Springtrap noticed the hands protruding through his body, but paid them no mind; it wasn't like he could feel them, anyway. And, surprisingly, he had absolutely no desire to let go of the Guard, at least for just a few more seconds. Head still firmly resting on Kenneth's shoulder, he managed a small, small smirk. "Geez, you're just... you're just too damn nice, you know that, Night Guard? Idiotically so, I mean..."

           "...I know." Kenneth laughed to himself. "And it m-may have gotten me killed, um, or, at least, attempted, but...I...It helped m-me make a--a friend, right?" 

           The ghost lifted his head hesitantly, reaching up to give his best attempt at ruffling the Guard's hair. "You want me to say it again?" He smiled for real this time, his eyes now almost disconcertingly kind. "Of course we're friends. I suppose...well,-" He let out a small laugh, shaking his head in sheer disbelief at the utterly absurd situation that he was currently in. "-you're the first person that I can stand to be around long enough to consider a 'friend,' so... congratulations, I suppose."

           "Yaaay!" A soft little cheer and then Kenneth laughed, straightening again, starting to rub the goose bumps off of his arm. "I-I'm glad. And--And I know, be-before I burn th-this place down you might ge-get more of your memories, and th-they're gonna be bad but... You know, I'm here, and... n-nothing can hurt you and... you... c-can't hurt me." 

           "Thanks... again." Springtrap sat up straight as well, running a hand through his hair. "I... I can't ever truly thank you for everything you've done and plan to do, but... I mean, if... if there's anything that I _can_ do for you, then, uh...let me know, I guess. I mean-" He shrugged, raising an eyebrow. "-I can walk through walls, so...if you ever need someone with that ability in the near future, I'm your guy."

           The freckled-boy chuckled, shaking his head. "No, no, but- Um. Just, if you can, i-if for some reason you're n-not freed... drop by ev-every now and th-then. Since I'm gonna miss you. S'all I...I want."

           "Oh, god, you're actually going to _miss_ me?" Springtrap scoffed, his smile telling the Guard that his annoyed tone was only meant as a joke. "I can't say I understand _why_ you care about me so much, but... hey, to each his own."

           "O-of course I like you! I, I mean, you don't just be--be nice to a guy and spiritually free him for how many nights and... and n-not like them, a-at least a tiny bit." A small, gentle smile tugged up the boy's mouth, his shoulders falling. "You're... pretty really okay."

           "'Pretty really okay.'" The specter repeated the Guard's words, wearing a matching smile. He shrugged and held up his hands in a gesture that meant he didn't feel like arguing about it. "...I guess I can accept that."

           A small laugh. _Good word choice, there, Kenneth_. "And, and hey, if you get more me-memories back a-and they scare you or hurt you or...Well. Um, I-I won't stop liking you. I-I'll help."

           Springtrap raised an eyebrow. "Well, thanks, but... how are you going to help with my memories? It's not like you can experience them _for_ me. And you already have a plan to set me free, so..."

           "No, no, I...If you fall over again." A slight frown. "You--You w-were super upset and, and in pain la-last time, so...I'll help wi-with that."

           "Oh, that." The specter automatically winced at the memory. Why had it actually _hurt_? He was a ghost, after all, so he shouldn't be feeling anything, including pain. Then again, things inside this hell-hole of a building never quite worked out the way he expected. "Well, I'm not sure how much you can do without actually being able to touch me, but... thanks anyway. It's... it's not so bad, really; it just... surprised me." He attempted a reassuring smile, but it failed to meet his eyes.

           Kenneth frowned harder. Then, slowly, he leaned forward, awkwardly pawing at Springtrap's body, trying to properly touch him. Every time, his hand just went through, sending chills up his spine. A few more annoyed attempts, but he eventually sighed, retracting his arm. "...Oh well. I-I thought, maybe, i-if I tried hard enough...I could do it."

           "Good effort, but-" Springtrap lightly patted the guard on the forearm, smiling a little sadly. "-unless I have a body, you'll just go right through me. So...forget about trying to hug me again, unless you need the cold to wake you up." He had a feeling that, if given the chance, Kenneth would love to give his new- now official- friend a real hug. However, it simply wasn't a realistic possibility. Springtrap, he had to admit to himself, wasn't as cut up about this fact as he knew the Guard would be. Physical affection would _never_ be his sort of thing.

           The boy let out a slightly somber laugh. He'd love more than anything to hug the ghost for real, if for no other reason than to reassure the man that he now had someone who truly cared about him, but... it didn't matter. Not too much. "...Ri-right. Well, it's-it's fine. I mean, I'll t-try to hug you before you go!"

           "Sure, sure." The ghost made a dismissive gesture. When- _if_ \- he finally got to that "point of no return," he might as well let the Guard try one last time. He leaned back on his hands, staring down the empty hallway. "That'll happen soon, right? I mean, I assume you're more than ready to get the hell out of here."

           "Maybe just..." Gently, the stalking shadow, unmoving for the past few minutes, curled around Kenneth's arm. "...Just a-a little lo-longer. Not, not too much, but I mean, st-still have to think of an excuse for PD."

           Attracted to the movement, Springtrap noticed the shadow immediately. His first instinct was to try and push Kenneth out of the way, but- no, he had to remain calm. That was the best way to help the Guard stay in control. In a voice as soothing as he could manage, he said, softly, "Kenneth, please don't freak out. I think... I think the Puppet's back, but you _need_ to stay awake. Even if it's hard, even if it fights you, _please_ stay awake. It'll probably try to talk, but as long as you're still conscious you're in control. Do you understand me?"

           For a moment, Kenneth didn't seem to get it, pausing, blinking--But he let out a sudden exhale, a sudden small stretch. _"Oh, don't get your ghostly knickers in a twist, Vincent. I'm not going to take over his life. Honestly, you think I'd make the same mistake multiple times?"_

           "Honestly-" The former murderer's tone was slightly mocking, eyes narrowed. He was already tired of this encounter and it had only just started. "-I don't know _what_ the hell you're going to do. What do you want _now_?"

           The creature's eyelids lowered. It sighed, looking away sharply. _"I wanted to say... you're off the hook."_


	20. Chapter 19: Finale

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Springtrap had never felt such a connection with anyone before. Was it because Kenneth was nearly the same age as he had been when he'd died? Or was it because they were so fundamentally different?
> 
> 'Opposites attract,' Springtrap thought, rolling his eyes, 'Isn't that how the saying goes?'
> 
> He and Kenneth were, in every sense of the word, complete and total opposites, and yet the Guard had been the only one able to break through Springtrap's carefully-composed shell of anger and instinctive, violent tendencies. Abruptly, the ghost stopped in his tracks, staring hard at the ground. He whispered, in a voice so soft that he wondered if Kenneth could even hear him. 'I don't... I don't know if I'm ready anymore... Or if... if I ever will be ready.'"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Well, we've finally made it- "My New Best Friend Is A Murderer" has come to an end. I'll keep this note brief, since I'm sure you'd much rather get to the actual chapter, but I wanted to again thank everyone for their support of this story. It's an amazing feeling when a project you've worked on for so long gets this amount of love! Thank you to everyone who has read, favorited, commented, and drawn fanart; your support means more than I could ever put into words!
> 
> And, of course, I have to give another, extra-special shout out to my ol' RP partner for creating the storyline with me, and then further encouraging me when I wanted to turn it into a fanfic!
> 
> So, without further ado, enjoy the last chapter of "My New Best Friend Is A Murderer!"

** Chapter 19: Finale **

           "Well-" Springtrap cut off abruptly, mouth hanging open in an almost comical expression. He had been more than ready to reply to the Marionette's predictably horrific answer with some snarky comment, but this was the _last_ thing he ever expected to hear. He frowned hard, slowly responding in a voice quiet with shock, "Ex...excuse me?"

           _"Off the hook."_ The Marionette's own voice was cold, almost steely and grave. _"I said my goal was to see your final sobs- to see you on your knees, broken. And I saw it, just moments ago. You're not forgiven- Oh, no,_ never. _I'm not as soft as-"_ It gave Kenneth's chest a poke, "-this _nimrod_. _But I'm just about done with this whole situation."_  

           "Off the... I'm... I'm off the... _off the hook_?!" Springtrap knew he was repeating himself, but this simple, three-letter phrase was so utterly incomprehensible that he felt the need to say it again to make any sense of it. His eyes darted around the room- to the floor, ceiling, the wall, back at the floor- before finally settling back on the possessed Guard. "I-I don't... You're... Are you...saying that you're finally going to leave?! You're going to... to leave and be free, like the others?"

           The Puppet shifted away. Clearly it didn't want to talk about this either. But slowly, it nodded. _"I see no reason to continue hanging around, my friend. I suppose I'll just allow myself the glory of... Freedom, I suppose. I hardly know what's beyond for the more mystically-inclined, but I suppose it can't be too bad..."_

           "I-I...Well, that's... I..." A small, delirious sort of chuckle escaped the ghost's lips, coupled with an equally questionable smile.

           This couldn't be real.

           The Marionette must be playing some sort of trick. Vincent had done such horrible, horrible things... "You can't be serious, I...I deserve eternal torment, like you've told me so many times...Well, I mean-" He paused, a slight crease between his eyebrows. "- _you_ deserve to go free, surely, after all the hell I've put you through... But..."

           The creature shot the ghost a slightly confused glance, blinking slowly. _"Didn't I say you weren't forgiven?"_ it snapped, shaking its head. _"Of course I know what you deserve. I, however, don't wish to bring it anymore; I saw what I wanted. I saw you whimpering on the floor, terrified of what you were. It's all I, personally, needed."_

           "That's...well, that's..." For once, Springtrap was actually at a loss for words. He ran a hand through his hair, looking around again before focusing on a spot on the wall a little to the right of the boy's head; for some reason, he couldn't bring himself to look at that face. "Thank.... thank you, I suppose. I...I really don't know what to...what to say..."

           A gentle little chuckle. "You? _Thanking_ me? _My, my, my. Aren't we breaking some new ground today?"_ Gently the creature leaned back on its hands, not judging the position of the ghost's eyes. " _You're welcome, my friend. And thank you for making it relatively quick, I could have pulled Kenneth's soul clean out of his body if I set my mind to it... I assume, though I never tried. Hmm."_

           Springtrap's breath hitched for a second- a strange sensation, since he technically didn't need to breathe and was only doing so out of habit. The thought of Kenneth being in the same ethereal state as him, or worse, sent a chill up his spine that was much, much colder than his current state of being. "Well, I...I can't say I _intended_ to 'make it quick,' but...I'm glad that you've decided to be free. Really." He let out a snorting sort of laugh, now staring at the ground. "I know that I'm probably the last person you want to hear that from, and you're most likely not going to believe me, but... I mean it. Seriously."

           Something about this statement made the human's eyes widen, made the Puppet shift to be on the defensive. The creature exhaled. _"Well...Alright. I'll accept the congrats. Truth be told, if freeing myself wouldn't also free you, perhaps I would have coaxed Kenneth to do it sooner..."_

           This last sentence made Springtrap frown. "Are you... able to free _yourself_ now? Or do you still need help? Because, if you do-"A tiny, tiny smile lifted up the corners of his mouth. "-I'm sure the idiot whose body you're inhabiting would be more than willing to assist. He talks incessantly about wanting to help _both_ of us, you know, not just me."

           _"Would he help without question?"_ A pause, a sudden laugh. _"He would."_ The Puppet shifted again, smiling softly as well. _"Alright, say I do agree. You won't mind your tormentor is getting away?"_

           "The tormentor that I created in the first place?" The ghost shook his head, finally meeting the Marionette's measured gaze. "I'm old, and some of my memories are still hazy, but I'm not stupid; I know what I've done. The only reason that you became... _this,_ is because of _my_ unwarranted, inexcusable actions. Am I angry at you for forcing me into that rabbit suit, putting me to sleep for thirty years, and then torturing me almost non-stop from the moment I woke up?" A short pause, and then he nodded slightly. "...Of course I am. But I understand that I really have no right to be; everything you did was to get revenge for yourself and the other kids.

           "Nothing I say can excuse what I've done, so if finally letting all of the children's restless souls go free is the best thing for them, then I'll take it." A small spark lit up his eyes, though if it was meant to be teasing or angry, the Puppet wasn't sure. "...Even if one of those spirits had a particular affinity for dousing me with water."

           The creature let out a laugh- a noise that sounded more like an exhale then a true laugh.

  
           " _So you_ do _understand,"_ it said softly, another chuckle following. _"I never supposed that was possible, your understanding. But I seem to be surprised more and more as we speak. And not just from this man's... disconcertingly strong will."_ It gave one last stretch, one last little wiggle to get perfectly comfortable. _"And don't you fret. No more short circuiting...Even if it was hilarious to watch you scream."_

           "At least _one_ of us enjoyed the torment..." Springtrap rolled his eyes, and then shook his head, grounding himself to the situation at hand. "So, you never answered my question: can you get out on your own? Or do you need Kenneth's help?" He gestured to the Guard's body that the Puppet currently inhabited, wondering if Kenneth was indeed still awake and hearing everything that was happening around him.

           Slowly, slowly, the creature flexed its fingers. _"...Yes. Since I gave up my initial ability to leave in order to keep you within the building, I would need...Well. Your own method to sever ties, so to speak."_ Its eyes rolled away in thought. _"I suppose you could say I inadvertently bound myself to_ you _, though it isn't the best comparison."_

           "...Ah." The explanation made as much sense as anything else did. Springtrap raised one eyebrow. "Well, Kenneth is going to burn down the building tonight, so, if it works, then we'll both be free very soon. Although, I think he wanted to hang around a little and see if you'd show up again. I'm not sure what specifically he wanted to do, but... I think he at least wanted to make sure you were okay. Well, relatively; as 'okay' as you can be." He shrugged. "You're the one inside his head; you'd have a better idea of what he's thinking than I would, probably."

           _"Try and help me? Truly he is a little too... trusting._ " The Puppet gave little chuckle, letting the Guard's eyes shut gently. _"Alright. I'll comply. I'll go along with this sort of plan... But if it doesn't work, don't expect my sympathies."_ With that, Kenneth's head slightly lolled forward, followed by some gentle breathing. Slowly, his eyes cracked open and he mumbled:

           "Mmm...Did I fall 'sleep...?"

           "Apparently so." The ghost briefly pressed his hands on either side of the boy's face, hoping that the sudden cold would wake him up faster. "Come on, wake up; I actually have some fairly good news, for once!"

           "Didn't m-mean to..." A yawn. "Tired." Kenneth reached up, rubbing his eyes, letting them slowly open wider as he sat up, looking at the ghost's hands on either side of his face. He laughed. "I'm up, I-I'm up!"

           Springtrap returned his hands to his sides, only to pick one up again and run it through his hair, smiling slightly. "So, uh...apparently, I'm 'off the hook.'" 

           "Off the..." Kenneth blinked, rubbing the back of his neck. "H-Hook? Um, what?"

           The specter chuckled. "The Marionette is finally done tormenting me. I'm not forgiven for what I've done, and I never will be, but... Let's see, how did it put this..." He frowned, thinking, before locking gazes with the Guard. "It said that its goal was to 'see my final sobs, on my knees... broken,' were the words I think it used. And, apparently, when I had that... _breakdown_ earlier, that was enough to satisfy it." Springtrap smiled, his eyes surprisingly soft. "So, the Puppet decided that it was finally time to be free."

           Kenneth's eyes lit up brightly as he grinned from ear to ear. "You're fr-free to go?!"He almost gasped, excited. "It's--That's--That's great! Now, now it won't bind you to anything else and--It'll work, and--You're really _free_!"

           "Yeah." The ghost couldn't help but echo the Guard's ridiculous grin; it was simply too infectious. "Apparently, when the Marionette brought me back, it gave up its chance to leave and unintentionally got stuck with me again... so, basically, now it can't go until I do." 

           "That's--That's amazing! So, so you're--It can be a kid and you can be happy!" A laugh, a random, excited laugh. "I--I'd hug you! But, but I'm saving th-that for when I burn it, but... Wow!" 

           "Yeah, save the hug for later," Springtrap agreed, rolling his eyes. A bright smile was still lighting up his face as he stretched his arms over his head; though he couldn't feel any stiffness in his joints, it felt like the natural thing to do. As he let his arms fall to his sides, he glanced down at the Guard. "So? Any last-minute things you want to do before we get the hell out of here?"

           "You, you did say you... wanted to--to know more about me." Kenneth quickly hopped up as well, standing beside the ghost, still smiling so much his cheeks hurt. "And if you r-remember anything, well... There's g-gotta be more than just child murders, ri-right?"

           "Hopefully, I'll get some good memories to even out the bad ones, but... somehow, I doubt it." His smile slipped as he went through the motion of ruffling Kenneth's hair again. "But I can't tell you anything about myself unless I remember, so... why don't you give me a little more insight into _your_ life?"

           "M-me?" Kenneth blinked, then looked away in thought. "Well, um. I'm Ken-Kenneth Talbot. Twenty-seven. Born September, um, twentieth. Virgo. I majored in, ah... Calligraphy in college. Mostly be-because I couldn't find anything I could ma-make a real living on. This, um, this is my first real job... No pets yet. Ki-kinda want a rat or something small. Cat person. Um. No siblings, no-not that I'm aware of... Blood type A-positive. And favorite color is...Well, yellow, I guess. Maybe a light brown? I-I'm not sure what to say, really, hah..."

           "Wow, that's... a bit more than I expected," Springtrap chuckled. He certainly hadn't intended for the Guard reveal every detail about himself. The ghost raised an eyebrow. "You're twenty-seven, huh? I'm pretty sure I was around your age when I... got stuck here. "

           "Really?" Kenneth wasn't sure if his tone was supposed to slightly lighten, but it did. "Um. S-Sorry. Did I ever apologize? People, um, just do th-that when people die, so..."

           "Apologize for... what? My death? " The ghost rolled his eyes. "Oh, come on, Night Guard; that's the _last_ thing that anyone needs to apologize for, especially _you_. Besides... that's in the past. I mean, yes, obviously I'm still dead; look at me." He gestured to his transparent body. "...But thirty years is a good amount of time for me to, at least mostly, accept it."

           The Guard let out a small, small sigh. "I, I don't know, I... I'd want someone to apologize, I... Maybe I am too nice, really. Heh."

           Springtrap gave another little smile. "I think we've already established that."

           "Well, I mean...Y-Yeah." Kenneth smiled back. "I'm gl-glad you put up with me though!"

           "Well, you seem to be the only one actually _working_ here, so...." The ghost looked down the hallway, frowning. "What exactly were you supposed to _do_ in this place, anyway?"

           "Oh, um, I, I play the Guard. But--Um, they let me manipulate some of the sounds and lights." The boy smirked a little, rubbing the back of his neck, thinking of what PD had told him a long while back. "I-I could play things over the loudspeaker. D'you remember th-the tapes? Well, I would play those, and pr-probably the little laughing sound byte, and scare the patrons! And I'd maybe flicker some lights and maybe fake die."

           "Sounds _riveting_." Springtrap gazed up at the ceiling, an almost wistful look in his eyes, shaking his head slightly. "This is certainly a far cry from 'Freddy Fazbear's Pizza...'"

           Suddenly, he was overcome with the smell of grease and cake, coupled with the sounds of children laughing and screeching with delight.

           _When Vincent first began to work for the company- and he had gotten hired very soon after Fazbear's humble beginnings- it had been an overall happy place. Though there were only two characters at the time, good old Freddy and Bonnie seemed to entertain the children well enough. Unfortunately, Vincent knew from the moment he stepped over the threshold of the building that this place wouldn't be a good fit for him; the atmosphere was just too... upbeat for his quietly calculating nature. However, he accepted the position with the plan of quickly finding another job soon afterwards- this had been the only option for him at the current time, and he needed the money more than he needed a peaceful livelihood._

_...Or so he'd thought. A few years later, he was still working at Freddy Fazbear's. The long, arduous hours trapped among hordes of screaming children hyped up on sugar had not been kind to him. In fact, this longer-than-intended employment had put quite a strain on his-unbeknownst to him at the time- already fragile mental state._

           "That's why I reacted so-" The thought cut off, and Springtrap blinked. He was in Fazbear's Fright, decades into the future. The only smell was that of the old building- although, being a ghost, this was rather hard for him to detect. He let out a small, frustrated sigh, his eyes once again falling to the freckled boy standing next to him.

           Kenneth had begun wringing his hands, wondering if this was what it had been like when he'd been lost in his hallucinatory dreams- when he'd touch things and lapse into those visions. It was a little disconcerting, to say the least. Springtrap suddenly made a noise, and Kenneth looked back at him with a start, eyes lighting up.

           "So? An-another memory? It, it doesn't even look like a bad one! No fa-falling and crying or a-anything."

           "Yeah, it... it wasn't so bad, compared to the other ones." The ghost ran a hand through his hair, cracking a small grin. "Ironically, it was about my early years working at Freddy Fazbear's Pizza."

           "Oh, re-really?" The boy smiled back, then paused, looking off. "Ma-maybe your memories are tr-triggered by things! Like my hallucinations! We just have to figure out these triggers, and-" Kenneth paused, laughing at himself for getting almost wrapped up in another plan. _Priorities, Kenneth_. "...H-How'd it go?"

           "How did _what_ go?" Springtrap raised an eyebrow, crossing his arms. "My job? Not very well, in the end, if you couldn't have already guessed. It... wasn't the right fit for me." He let out a short, unenthusiastic sort of chuckle. "It was only supposed to be a temporary position, but... I guess I was always a bit _off_ , so no one really wanted to hire me. I only got the job at _this_ place because they were desperate for anyone they could get.

           "But I needed the money, so..." His gaze shifted to the ground and he uncrossed his arms, letting them fall to his sides. "I just thought I could put up with the kids for a little bit. It... It wasn't even the kids themselves, really." He frowned, vague feelings in the back of his mind trying to resurface. "It was the... the screaming and crying that I couldn't stand."

           Softly, Kenneth began to chew on the inside of his cheek. "You, um...You don't li-like loud noises?"

           "Not necessarily loud noises, per se. It's more like..." The specter's frown deepened and he ran a hand through his hair. "It's more like... crying. I just...didn't know how to deal with it. Still don't, probably, but thankfully you haven't had a temper tantrum." His eyes shifted to meet the Guard's, smirking slightly in a desperate attempt to lighten the situation. "... _Yet_."

           Kenneth exhaled, laughing to himself. "I, I don't cry! Not a lot! Okay, okay, I--I get scared a, a whole lot, but...I don't actually _cry_ all that much." But still, he smiled back. "Oh, um, maybe this is why you're not good with ph-physical affection, you know... L-Little kids pulling on your pants and so-sobbing and getting snot on you... Something like th-that?"

           The ghost's smirk widened into a full-on smile. "Yeah. I mean, do you know how hard it is to get greasy pizza stains out of this uniform?" To emphasize the gravity of this question, he lightly tugged on one of his pant legs.

           Kenneth rolled his eyes. "No, I guess I wo-wouldn't. I mean, all there is here is..." A vague wave of a hand. "Fa-fake cobwebs and d-dust."

           "...Right, you haven't actually gotten the Fazbear experience, have you?" Springtrap asked, letting out a sigh. "Consider yourself lucky. Although... I have a feeling that you'd get along much better with the little ones that I could even imagine." His eyes seemed to soften just a tad, a sad look deep within them. If only their lives had been switched... Despite his constantly-terrified state, Kenneth was obviously willing to protect people if the need arose, and Springtrap had a feeling that his kind personality would make him a huge hit with all of the children.

           "Yeah, I w-wish I... met the kids." The Guard looked away, eyes rolling up to the ceiling. "Y-You think they could see me? Th-that they knew what I was doing? Can they still see me, o-or... Oh, I wish I could have me-met them before they went! Poor little th-things..."

           "Hopefully, they're long gone and have no more ties to this place whatsoever." Springtrap glanced up at the ceiling for a moment as well. "...But I'm sure they knew what you were up to, even if they weren't aware of _who_ exactly was doing it. You helped give them their freedom, after all. And... there's still _one_ of them hanging around."

           _"...How couldn't I? I'm very glad someone was there to play my games."_ Kenneth blinked, covering his mouth again, but he was forced to gently laugh. _"No, no, don't worry... You won't go to sleep this time, my friend. I feel that you're obligated to hear a few things we speak of."_

           Though the Guard's expression was currently masked by the Marionette's, Springtrap knew that Kenneth was probably having a panic attack on the inside. Hoping to quell his nerves at least a little, he soothed: "Kenneth, just relax. For once, you don't have to fight it; we came to a relative understanding, remember? So just... try and be calm."

           "Right, I-I mean okay, but can you make my limbs stop moooovin-" His hands went up, rubbing his temples. _"Oh, gracious. Somehow his panicking is far, far louder when it's literally two inches from my ears. Hmph."_

           "If you give him a little more physical control, then he won't panic as much." The ghost sounded as if he were explaining something to a small child. His eyes darkened for a second, before his lips curled upwards in an ironic sort of smirk. "It's not fun being treated like a puppet, you know."

           _"Oh, hush-hush."_ A dismissive wave of the hand. _"I'm not letting him have the motor functions; I'm sure he's jittery enough with just myself speaking in his place. I don't want him running away, possibly stumbling on your headless suit, getting an eyeful of corpse, and then suffering a heart attack."_

           Springtrap let out a small, aggravated sigh, but decided that it would be in both his and Kenneth's best interests not to argue. "...Fine. So, what do you want to talk about _this_ time?"

           " _Oh, not to you, I'm done with you."_ The boy's hands began to dust and straighten the blue uniform _. "I was going to thank Kenneth, and perhaps urge him to get a move on."_

           "Wa-wait, I mean--I--You're welcome! But...?" Kenneth's stuttering voice broke through for a second, but the Marionette continued over him, prompting the body to pace the dingy hallway.

           " _You see, I can't exactly allow this horrible man to continue remembering things."_

           "Wait, I mean--That's--"

           _"Honestly, just listen, would you? See, it's obvious: He keeps remembering..."_ The pacing stopped dead, hands clasped behind the boy's back. _"The less likely you'll be pleased with the resulting outcome._ "

           "Okay, if, if you're s-saying he's going to k-kill me-"

           _"A reasonable thought!"_

           "-He won't! That's, he's... t-that's just not how people work!" 

           "Hey, I'm right here, you know," Springtrap interjected, waving a hand in front of the boy's face and raising an offended eyebrow. "You think that I'm suddenly going to get the urge to murder this idiot if I get more of my memories back?"

           _"Yes."_ The Guard's arms crossed. _"I think it's reasonable. Bothering with this-"_ A hand poked his chest, making Kenneth squeal. _"-whiny little thing is only bound to remind you of everything you hate, and don't act like I can't pick up on this sort of thing."_

           "I never said... Well, _of course_ he reminds me of those whiny brats- er, no offence, Kenneth." The specter narrowed his eyes. "But, despite what you may think, I have a little more self-control than I used to. What makes you think I'll randomly decide to off him?" He jerked a thumb towards the Guard, trying to control his growing frustration. He had worked so hard to convince Kenneth that the boy was perfectly safe around him, and the Puppet was trying to ruin their still-fragile bond of trust with nothing more than manipulative language.

           _"Because I'm sure you want to_." Lightly, ever so lightly, shadowy traces began to seep out of Kenneth's fingertips. A small whimper. One hand reached out, "holding" the ghost's arm, and the wisps of darkness gently wrapped around Springtrap as well, making the grip a little more real between one supernatural being to another. " _A fragile boy who whines and screams and whimpers at the slightest thing? He's a weak-skilled child. So I can't allow you to remember anything more. And if I must, I'll make him burn this building this very moment."_  

           "Okay, okay, no more chatting!" Springtrap exclaimed, giving his arm a light tug, though not really trying to free himself. The shadowy tendrils were alarming, yes, but not painful. Springtrap certainly couldn't blame the Puppet for wanting to leave, but its reasoning irked him. "I really, honestly, don't want to kill Kenneth! But if you make him start a fire _now_ , then he might inadvertently kill _himself..._ At least let him get out of the building first. Trust me, he wants to burn this place down, too."

           _"Hmph."_ A slight wrinkle of the boy's freckle-ridden nose. _"Like I'd let him get killed. Come, let's-"_

           "But, but I wanna--I wanna stay with Sp-Springtrap--!" Yet again, Kenneth's own voice broke through for just a moment before the Marionette's willpower strengthened.

           _"Let's get the lighter and we'll be on our way."_

           "A l-little longer, j-just... just a f-few minutes, I p-promise-"

           _"Promises mean nothing, even coming from_ you."

           The hand holding the ghost trembled. "L-Let him g-go!"

           "Hey, hey, it's alright," Springtrap said, attempting to give the Guard a smile, though it didn't reach his eyes. He twisted his arm around so that he appeared to be gripping Kenneth's palm in some sort of half-living, half-dead handshake. "Remember what I told you? The Marionette is attached to me; it can't leave until I do. So... so let's just go get that lighter, and we c-can burn this place down!" His voice hitched for a moment, though he couldn't understand why. He had this strange lump in his throat, which was odd because he shouldn't be experiencing any human ailments. The ghost swallowed, attempting to make the strange feeling go away, but the lump refused to leave. He settled for giving the Guard's arm a little squeeze and then attempting to let go... but Kenneth was holding on fast, the tendrils making it so that he could actually touch the ghost in a strange sort of way.

           The boy gave another whimper, and he reached his other hand over to try and pull his fingers off. The tendrils refused to move, and he sighed.

           "We-well, it, it backed off... K-Kind of. A-At least it's not talking..." Gently he pulled the ghost, starting to go down the hall, his other arm reaching up and rubbing the back of his neck. "I'll, I mean...I'll... g-get it over with." He looked down at the floor, shifting awkwardly. Truth be told, he heard the hitch, he just didn't want to bring it up... and he wished the Puppet wasn't forcing him into this so quickly. 

           Springtrap, on the other hand, remained silent as he was literally pulled down the hallway. He could sense a sort of uneasiness, even a hint of... sadness-maybe?- emanating off of Kenneth. The ghost wanted to talk more, to learn more about his new-found friend and, less appealing but still necessary, learn more about himself and his past in the process. And he knew without a shadow of a doubt that the Guard wanted the same thing. However... it seemed like the Puppet's demands were, as usual, too strong to go against.

           Kenneth knew where the lighter was, of course. In his desk. But he was taking a rather... _extravagant_ route to the office. Turning many unnecessary corners, looking away when he saw hallways he could take that would be quicker, almost trying to force innocent whistling. It soon became glaringly obvious he was stalling a bit, but for the moment, the Marionette didn't extend its influence..

           "...I take it that you don't want to leave just yet?" Springtrap questioned eventually, raising an eyebrow. He knew just as well as Kenneth did that all of those turns and extra-cautious efforts to avoid "quick" hallways were simply stalling tactics. He couldn't blame the boy for trying, though.

           "I--Well, I mean..." Kenneth's eyes wandered downwards, sighing. "Y-yeah. I... I don't wanna... I don't wanna lose you j-just yet."

           The specter couldn't help the small laugh that escaped his throat. Good lord, how cheesy could this guy _be_? "You know, if... if you hadn't taken the job, then some other poor sap would've been the Night Guard and you wouldn't even have met me. So, I guess... consider it lucky that I wasn't harassing someone else this past week." He cringed; what kind of comforting words were _those_? But, then again, he had never been one for emotional support. He hoped that Kenneth could tell he was trying his best.

           Kenneth gave small laugh, a smile going across his face. That did somehow make him feel a little better about this, knowing he stopped some other poor unfortunate sucker from possibly dying. That wouldn't have been nice. "I-I--And--I just wanna letcha' know, I--I do still trust you. And, um. I know you, you wouldn't hurt me. No matter wh-what."

           Springtrap cracked a grin, ruffling the Guard's hair to the best of his ghostly ability. "I'm glad to hear you say that. After all the crap we've been though, I'd hardly waste the effort I spent protecting you from that manipulative Puppet by trying to _kill_ you... That would just be stupid."

           The Guard's smile widened as he leaned into the little hair ruffle. In a strange way, he was going to miss these sorts of things. "And, y'know, I, I wanted you to go with all your memories, since--Well--What if you don't get them back? And... And then you're missing a big p-part of you, and..." He sighed. "I-I don't want you to go j-just yet. N-Not... not r-right this second, I mean."

           "Well, it's not like _I_ want to, eith-" The ghost suddenly cut himself off, his mouth hanging open mid-word. He couldn't believe what he had just been about to say.

           After thirty years of being trapped inside that horrible suit, not to mention the many years of torture before that working at the Pizzeria itself, nor the week of hell he had just endured at the hands of the Puppet... how could he even fathom the idea of wanting to _stay_ even a millisecond longer? It was absolutely ridiculous. Springtrap was a ghost; he was already dead, and had been for much too long. He had no purpose, no right to stay on this Earth any longer. So... why did that damn lump in his throat suddenly return at the Guard's glaringly heartfelt words?

           Kenneth let himself relax a bit, pulling the ghost along, meandering through the halls. He heard Springtrap suddenly cut himself off, but what he was about to say... it really made the Guard feel better. His eyes traced along the drawings, exhaling. "I--I... Y'know, I...I don't want you t-to go, but... I'm g-glad you are, a-all the same!"

           "Oh, really?" Springtrap smirked, predicting the next words to come out of the idiotically kind boy's mouth. "Because, 'despite being a child murderer in the past, I've come to realize my mistakes and deserve my freedom, too,' right?"

           "Aw, I'm n-not that cheesy, am I?" Kenneth blushed a little, smiling. "You--You ma-make me sound like a-a Hallmark c-card. I-I don't sound like that! ...Do I?"

           "Well... Just a little bit." The ghost's smirk widened, and then he blinked as a wayward thought crossed his mind: _what a normal conversation this is._ The content itself wasn't normal, of course, but the way Springtrap was conversing with the Guard was... well, he'd never been able to talk to _anyone_ as easily as this before. He wondered why this walking self-esteem booster couldn't have come into his life when he was still alive. Maybe Kenneth would've been able to talk some sense into him before...

           Springtrap shook his head, letting out a small sigh. That was all in the past; there was nothing more he could do about it. He focused back on the Guard, his grin returning. "You _do_ spout out some pretty card-worthy stuff with fairly good consistency..."

           "...Ma-maybe I could get a new job writing greeting cards." Kenneth turned a corner, giving a small laugh. "I-I got th-the penmanship down, and well..." A pause, his shoulders falling. The turned corner left him face-to-face with his office. "O-oh. I, uh... thought we... w-wouldn't pass this yet."

           "Well, you've been through every other place in this building except the air vents, so unless you wanted to take a trip through _those_ , this is the only place left to go," Springtrap reasoned, shrugging, trying to appear nonchalant despite the strange, growing apprehension he felt.

           "...R-Right." Slowly, Kenneth went over to his desk. As his free hand reached out to open a drawer, the shadowy tendrils released the ghost, retracting back into the Guard's other arm while he rummaged around. "...This is... is it."

           "Looks like it." Springtrap lifted his hand to his chest, absentmindedly rubbing the wrist that had been surrounded by shadows. Though wasn't a fan of being "stuck" to anything, the ghost couldn't help but sort of appreciate that that was the closest thing he would ever get to any "physical contact" with the Guard. Not that he necessarily _wanted_ the contact, per se, but he knew that Kenneth was hell-bent on giving him one last hug before he left, one way or another, and he supposed a shake of the hand was the next best thing. He watched as Kenneth slowly, almost painstakingly picked up at lighter, as if it burned his fingers simply to touch it.

           The Guard wrapped his fingers around the lighter, closing the drawer, a shadow sneaking up the wall. He looked at the thing in his hands for a while, then let his eyes wander out to the hallway. "Um, ma-maybe I sh-should light one, one of those posters...Th-that'd burn... quicker."

           "Just make sure it's not a haunted one or... something." The ghost sighed; he had no idea what he was even trying to say. Was that meant to be funny? It was a sad attempt, if it even _was_ one. A dull, numbing sensation began to overcome his body.

           This was it. This was really it.

           After all this time, all the decades of waiting, sleeping, the desperate longing to be free, it was finally about to happen. And Springtrap was almost... Well, this new emotion was a strange one. This was the night for new emotions, it seemed; however, this one was very, very unpleasant. That lump in his throat was still there, and it didn't appear to be going away anytime soon. Frowning, he looked at the Guard, as if silently asking him to explain his mental dilemma.

           Kenneth gave a delayed, almost forced laugh at Springtrap's comment. Really, as awful as this job was, he liked some part of it. Some small, small part. The boy sighed, looking back to the ghost. There was a strange look on the specter's face, though in all honesty Kenneth wasn't too sure how to read it. Pleading, inquisitive... Hurt? He couldn't say. "Well, um. Let's... Let's not draw it out, right? Or, or Marionette c-could come back." And, slowly, he went into the hall.

           "R-Right." Obediently, the ghost trailed along behind Kenneth. Why did he feel like a child getting unnecessarily punished? An ironic chuckle slipped from his mouth; six nights ago, he couldn't _wait_ to get out of there. And yet, now, he wanted to prolong his time with the Guard as much as possible. He had never felt such a... _connection_ with anyone before. Was it because Kenneth was nearly the same age as he had been when he'd died? Or was it because they were so fundamentally different?

           _Opposites attract,_ Springtrap thought, rolling his eyes, _Isn't that how the saying goes_?

           He and Kenneth were, in every sense of the word, complete and total opposites, and yet the Guard had been the only one able to break through Springtrap's carefully-composed shell of anger and instinctive, violent tendencies. Abruptly, the ghost stopped in his tracks, staring hard at the ground. He whispered, in a voice so soft that he wondered if Kenneth could even hear him. "I don't... I don't know if I'm ready anymore... Or if... if I ever _will be_ ready."

           Kenneth _could_ hear him. And he stopped too, looking over his shoulder. God, he... The ghost just staring at the ground like that... It made the Guard feel pity. A familiar feeling, one that had made him help in the first place, and it made his heart sink like a rock, seeing his friend like this. The boy wrung his hands, careful not to set the lighter off by accident.

           "I... I kn-know. I... I don't w-w-want you to... to go either, j-just yet." His voice was similarly quiet, and he let out a sigh. "But, but th-the Puppet wants to, and... and it'll make you go if I don't, and... I... It's...You...H have to."

           "...I know." Springtrap's eyes shifted up to meet the Guard's, a small smile lifting up the corners of his mouth. "Of _course_ I know. Hell, I... I should be _happy_! I should be absolutely ecstatic!" A small laugh, a light shake of the head. "Shit, I'm just... really messed up, huh? I get stuck at a job I hate, lose my mind and murder some kids, then get trapped here for decades in a rotting rabbit suit... and then I'm freed from my metal prison and have the ideal opportunity to leave, to go wherever the afterlife takes me and never look back. But, now... _now_ , I want to stay at this hell-hole of a place." He heaved a sigh and placed his face in his hands, lightly raking his fingers down his cheeks. "...My priorities are completely screwed up, Night Guard."

           Kenneth smiled a bit, which he hoped came off as reassuring, then reached up- having to slightly rock forward onto his tiptoes- and ruffled the ghost's hair. Well, as best he could. "Well, um, m-my first priority was to he-help the... the scary rabbit suit that wanted to p-probably kill me. So, we b-both have no priorities!" A cheerful little laugh as he rocked back to level ground. "It'll... Be o-okay, Springtrap."

           A genuinely happy grin, spread across the specter's face. This obnoxiously cheerful Guard always knew just what to say. "...Thanks. I mean, I'm sure it'll be better for me, in the end, but..." He shrugged, a teasing spark in his eyes. "I guess I'll miss having someone around that'll actually put up with me; it's not every day that you find someone that won't smack you if you repeatedly call them an 'idiot,' you know."

           Another laugh. Kenneth gave a big smile back and then turned around, looking at the drawing on the wall. Well, this was it. This was just... He had to convince himself to... "I, um. I-I'll just... Er." He flicked on the lighter, then held it to the picture, letting it catch alight. He watched as the flames consumed the drawings, soon moving to the ones nearby, then to the wall itself. "Well... um. T-There you g-go."

           Springtrap stared at the Guard, a dumbfounded look etched across his face. "What... what the hell are you _doing_?! You just... you're still in the middle of the damn building! Get out, _get out!_ " Abruptly, instinctively, he tried to push the boy towards the door, but only succeeded in falling through his back. Kenneth screeched as Springtrap's top half suddenly protruded out of his chest, looking like a scene from some sort of cheesy sci-fi movie. Springtrap winced at the sound and quickly extracted himself from the Guard, shivering as he righted himself and floated a few inches away. He didn't like the feeling of going through a human body any more than Kenneth did. "Ugh, sorry, I... didn't mean to do that. But... but you need to get _out_!" 

           It took a second for Kenneth to recalibrate, to get the chills out; it felt like his internal organs had frozen over, but that was pretty impossible. _Brr._ "Okay, okay, I'm-" He paused with a gasp, nearly forgetting something. Then the Guard rushed up, having to lean onto his tiptoes again in order to wrap his arms around the ghost and sort of awkwardly hug him. His hands sunk into the specter, but he couldn't care less. "I--I hope everything wo-works out wh-when you go, and--And--I hope you're happy! G-Goodbye, Springtrap!"

           He ignored the tears building in his eyes for now, letting go of the ghost and waving as he ran, dropping the lighter on his way to the outside world. He stopped only once, to pause and get his bag and keys, and felt a twinge of regret that he couldn't go back the retrieve that scarf, but... time was of the essence. Without looking back, Kenneth ran out of the building.

           "H-Hey, wait, Kenneth, I didn't get to-" The freckled boy had moved with such surprising speed, it took Springtrap a moment to process everything that had just happened. He rushed to the open door after the boy, wanting to follow him, but once again the ghost slammed into the invisible wall that blocked his escape from the building. He pressed his hands against the seemingly empty doorway, straining with all of his might to get through, but it wouldn't budge. Apparently, he wouldn't be free until _all_ of the building had burned down. He stared after the Guard, regret lingering in his eyes as he mumbled:

           "...I didn't get to hug you back, you stupid, stupid Night Guard."

           The fire spread slowly at first, lapping up the drawings and the old walls, the fake cobwebs and soon enough, the animatronic heads-turned-decor. It never really grew into a full blaze, just a gentle trail, covering more and more ground as it went.

           As Springtrap watched Kenneth run to his car, a shadow skirted across the walls and gently curled around the ghost's arm. It couldn't speak, for it had no vessel. But it felt... relieved, almost. At ease. No longer quite the proper, snotty, cunning thing it was before. Maybe a little softer. But who could really say? 

           Springtrap glanced at the shadow, the tendrils twisting and molding into an old, familiar shape. Through the smoke and flames, the ghost could see the silhouette of a small child staring up at him with wide, imploring eyes. One tiny hand clutched the former Guard's arm, gently tugging at his sleeve. A corner of Springtrap's mouth turned up in a small smile.

           The Marionette was back to the way it was before. Finally, the tortured spirit could be free. Gently, oh so gently, Springtrap reached down and grasped the child under the shoulders, lifting it up, up, up until it was floating out of his hands, slipping away to some far-off land of escape. The specter watched it go, the smoke clearing as the child passed through it. As the ghost stared up into the sky, he could swear that he saw the faces of five other children gazing down at him, their arms outstretched to welcome their wayward guardian back into their midst.

           Soon, though, the smoke returned and the spirit-children were no more. All that was left were the crackling of flames and the equally heavy air of both regret and redemption. Suddenly, Springtrap felt his body beginning to lighten, as if all of the ethereal weight that tied him to this Earth was fading away. He smiled; the flames must have finally gotten to his real body inside the broken, rotting animatronic suit. Slowly, he could feel his essence disappearing. He wasn't going up, but... he wasn't moving downwards, either. He was simply... disappearing, traveling to a new place that he hoped would be kinder to him than this world had been. And, in turn, he vowed to be kinder to whatever was there, too.

           A car backed out of the parking lot, quickly driving away into the night, the light of the headlights soon fading over the horizon. Of course, the smell of smoke and the bright flames alerted people. The fire trucks soon rolled in, sirens blaring, some wayward strangers taking pictures of the blaze which would no doubt make the news. Just another incident added to the infamous Fazbear Franchise.

           And Kenneth? He merely kept his eyes on the road, going forward. It wasn't until he was far, far away from the building that he pulled over and let the tears fall, mourning the loss and celebrating the freedom of a new, unexpectedly _good_ , very best friend.

_~The End~_


End file.
